Northwest Staffing Blog

Today’s workforce has different needs than the workforce of 20, 30, or 40 years ago. Responding to those diverse needs is critical if a company wants to remain competitive now – and in the future. Here are some ideas for adopting a diversity program at your company:

Analyzing diversity at your company.
The first phase is to analyze where you are and where you want to be in terms of diversity. That may mean conducting either formal or informal affirmative action analyses, and then establishing a vision for the future.

Creating targeted recruiting efforts.
If your company hasn’t met its diversity goals, the next step is to refine recruiting efforts to directly speak to certain groups, such as blacks, women, or seniors.

Implementing sensitivity training.
Educate and inform your managers and employees about diversity issues through sensitivity training. These seminars and presentations help to ensure that both groups work together to create a comfortable and supportive environment for everyone.

Ensure equal opportunity for growth.
If you’ve found that your company’s culture is not open to diversity, you may need to make major modifications to ensure that all employees have equal opportunities for growth and advancement.

Holding management accountable.
In order for a diversity initiative to succeed, managers need to be held accountable. Performance criteria and bonuses must be based upon the effective management of diversity, including recruitment and retention.

By effectively managing diversity in the workplace, your company can embrace new opportunities, meet the needs of your workforce, and remain more competitive for years to come. If you need help implementing a diversity initiative at your company, contact Northwest Staffing. We can help.

From drama queens to pragmatists, there are a whole host of different personalities at work. So how can you effectively manage each to create the most productive team possible? Here’s some information you may want to consider.

The Two Categories of Personalities – Introvert & Extrovert
Generally speaking, most people fall into either one of two personality categories – introvert or extrovert.

An introvert is someone who gets their energy from themselves, rather than from other people. Introverts tend to be a little quieter and more reserved. People that fall into this category are usually more drained by social situations, even if they have good social skills, and need time alone afterwards to re-energize. Introverts are typically detail-oriented and perfectionists. They excel at handling one task at a time, on their own terms, rather than as part of a larger group.

In contrast, an extrovert is energized by social situations. They get bored fast when they’re alone. If given a choice, an extrovert would much rather be surrounded by people. Extroverts tend to be at their best when interacting with others. They are typically assertive and risk takers; oftentimes, they show visible leadership capabilities.

Managing Introverts & Extroverts

While these two personality types seem like polar opposites, they actually complement each other quite nicely – if you manage them properly.

For instance, both personalities react differently to various work situations, such as meetings. An extrovert is typically energized by a meeting, seeing it as a forum for open discussion. An introvert, on the other hand, can become stressed and drained by meetings.

As a manager, you need to meet the needs of both types of personalities. Before a meeting, make sure to hand out a meeting agenda so that the introvert has time to prepare and is more comfortable coming to the table. Extroverts will also feel more energized by the contributions offered by the introverts – and the meeting will be more productive.

Here are some additional tips for managing introverts and extroverts:

• Since extroverts do well in social situations, be sure to put them in a role at your company that includes a lot of interaction.

• Extroverts tend to display a lot of confidence. But, since they’re not the most detail-oriented group of people, they’re not always right.

• Introverts, on the other hand, tend to be perfectionists. As a result, they will take more time to complete projects. Encourage them to not think about every single detail before moving forward with a task.

• Introverts like to perform tasks on their own. So hand off projects to them for which they can take full responsibility.

To be a successful manager, you must take different personalities into account. If you do so, and nurture the strengths of each, you’ll ultimately be able to build a stronger team and improve productivity.