How to Assess the Kind of Employee You in the Work Place: Subjective Observations and Objective Factors

Doing a personal employee assessment with subjective and objective observations can benefit both you and your employer.

Self-assessment in the workplace has to do with you personally, your thoughts and feelings and your workplace performance, as you perceive it. The kind of employee you are in the workplace may be the kind of employee that you actually are, but it might be different depending upon how accurately you perceive yourself and what you actually accomplish in the workplace.    

Management may hold a different view of the kind of employee you are in the workplace. For example, your employer may see you as being the most ambitious employee in the workplace, while inwardly you are fearful of a pending layoff and are working much harder than you need to.

The article, “How to Write an Employee Self-Assessment or Self-Appraisal & Job Assessment”suggests that “How an employee perceives his or her job performance may be quite a bit different from the evaluations that are being done by his or her supervisor.”

There is more than just job performance in a self-assessment in the workplace. 

“An employee self-assessment evaluation is not only a chance for a worker to take control of his or her career by giving feedback on the current situation, but also to inform management regarding the need for training or necessary resources to make future success possible.”

How to assess the kind of employee you are in the workplace includes subjective observations and objective factors. Subjective observations are personal in terms of self-assessment, while objective factors relate to the actual workplace atmosphere, environment, interpersonal relationships, etc. Your personal achievement is important in terms of self-assessment.

Subjective observations:

Beginning with subjective observations, allows you as an employee, to acknowledge your role from your own perspective. For example, “Am I a responsible worker? Do I function appropriately in my position? If not, why not? What can I do to make things better?”

Being honest with yourself is important. For example, “Am I enjoying my job? Is it a challenge or a chore? Do I really want to be here?” Only you can answer these kinds of questions. Resolution depends upon how you choose to act upon areas of concern and whether you choose to communicate with management in respect to them. 

          

Objective factors:

Objective factors play an important role in a self-assessment because they may affect how you function in the workplace. For example, “The workplace environment would be a happier place for the employees if it was warmer in this building.” These kinds of concerns need attention on the part of management, but are they aware of them?

Employer-employee interaction is an objective factor. For example, “The employer has an excellent relationship with his employees.” This can be a subjective observation for you, as well as an objective reality. “I enjoy working here because everyone works well together.”

Feedback on relevant workplace issues, concerns and problems with positive and constructive suggestions for their possible resolution, are valuable to management.

Personal achievement:

Another important aspect of self-assessment has to do with your personal accomplishments which management may or may not be aware of, unless you as an employee, bring them to their attention. You may want to include the achievements of others in conjunction with your own, as everyone benefits from recognition. Your promotions may depend on awareness with respect to management. For example, “Is management aware that you have just received an award for excellence in a skills training program?” 

How to assess the kind of employee you are in the workplace is not always easy, but it is important in terms of effecting appropriate transitions. Remember that management can bring about changes needed for you and others to be happier and better workers. For example, “Are training programs in order?”

Your honesty and integrity in terms of subjective observations and objective factors will reveal the kind of employee you are in the workplace. Your personal achievements recognized by management, can help effect important changes for the better in the workplace.