How Personality Type Can Make or Break Your Work-From-Home Job

Work-from-home has given us a new perspective on how an employee would manage their time and tasks. Each employee has a personality that is far more of a say in performance. It is also the best way to maximize production in a work-from-home environment. 

According to Fast Company, an efficient way of managing different personalities wrangling through the tried-and-tested Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The MBTI is widely applied in the business industry, which is generally regarded as the most accurate personality. 

The MBTI is a self-reported personality survey that has been in different shapes and forms since the 1940s, according to Carl Jung's Theory of Psychological Types. Respondents answered a series of questions regarding their preferences and feelings that eventually aligned with one of the 16 personality types.

Once you've learned your team members' personality types, you can assign them to a project that matches their preferences, biases, and proficiency. Also, you will have a more effective way of communicating with them if you know how your people process information, according to Atlassian's blog.

The Logistician

People who love routine and believe in values like hard work, honor, and social responsibility. They are quiet, reliable, and reserved people.

The logistician is a personality type that could be a significant asset in a remote working environment as they are incredibly well organized with their tasks. Rosie Peacock, psychologist, and business coach, and CEO of Conscious Enterprise, says, "They don't need much management or checking up on, just email them a to-do list at the start of the week, then you can trust them to quietly accomplish it. They'd also be the perfect type to streamline and organize any shared space online, from Dropbox to Google Docs."

The Advocate 

People with this personality value creativeness but also intuitive about others and are concerned with their colleagues' feelings. The advocate tends to be a deep thinker with many ideas. Peacock says that the hiring process is more difficult in a remote world, but advocates can be an ace to the company. They are excellent judges of character that can also be an asset to have them in virtual interviews. The advocate personalities do not thrive and work far behind the scenes, so they cannot put center stage in any zoom meetings.

The Architect

A personality like the architect is a perfectionist innovator who wants to work alone and thrive in a remote work environment. These people are natural problem solvers who are excellent at taking ideas and turning them into a good action plan. Hackston of the Myers-Briggs Company explained that these groups are more comfortable communicating through text and often need to be nudged in picking the phone or jumping on a Zoom call when it is advantageous. Simultaneously, they are deadline-focused, but in danger of rushing to hasty decisions, especially without co-workers near their impulses. 

The Defender

The defender personality is the most extroverted of the introverts with a strong work ethic and is sensitive to colleagues' feelings. However, they tend to be extremely conscientious workers who are capable of keeping remote teams bonded and happy, natural managers. These people are great for checking others' works as they pay attention to detail. Besides, they are very good at obeying rules and inspiring others to do the same. You may put these people in charge of tracking software, and they could increase the efficiency of the entire team.

The Virtuoso

Virtuoso personality is direct-to-the-point characters who are loyal but overly concerned with rules and laws. The virtuoso is the most unpredictable among other personalities as they are typically logical and rational but is also enthusiastic and spontaneous. 

People with these personalities could impact missed day-to-day interactions and will benefit from scheduled one-on-one digital meetings to maintain focus. They tend to excel in troubleshooting to be a significant tech asset in a remote work environment. On the other hand, the virtuoso personality can quickly lose focus. 

Read also: The Adverse Effect of Remote Work in a Company Culture