To succeed in the modern workplace, employee behavioral assessments can play a crucial role and enhance human resource strategies. Today, with a greater emphasis on teamwork and collaboration in work environments, as well as an increasing need for employees who align closely with major job responsibilities to decrease burnout, behavioral assessments are an important tool for organizations seeking to build a successful, engaged, and productive workforce.
Let’s explore the benefits of using personality assessments in the modern workplace and discuss why they have become an increasingly popular tool for employers.
What are the Advantages and Science Behind Using Behavioral Assessments?
One of the most significant advantages of using behavioral assessments in the workplace is the ability to gain insight into an individual’s personality traits and behavioral tendencies. By understanding an employee’s personality, employers can gain a deeper understanding of how they work, what motivates them, and how they are likely to react to different situations.
Omnia’s behavioral assessment is based on the theories of Carl Jung and William Marston. The Omnia Assessment is an ideal tool for helping employers understand their people and for individuals to understand their own strengths and weaknesses, as well as their natural communication and decision-making styles.
The Omnia Assessment has been independently validated on 3 separate occasions, the most recent in 2022/2023, resulting in data companies can rely on to complement their HR selection and development strategies.
The Omnia personality assessment measures an individual’s traits in 4 essential areas — assertiveness, sociability, pace, and need for structure. The Omnia Assessment is quick, easy, and accurate, providing leaders with valuable insights for employee selection, development, retention, engagement, and motivation, as well as giving employees insights for self-awareness and personal growth. It’s the perfect way to bridge communication gaps, assign project roles and build team cohesiveness.
How to Make Better Employee Selection Decisions with Personality Assessment?
One of the key uses of a personality assessment is hiring. Behavioral assessments provide a glimpse into an individual’s natural strengths in comparison to specific job roles. For example, an individual with a high level of assertiveness and strong attention to detail is likely well-suited to a project management role, while an individual with a high level of assertiveness and sociability is often a great fit for sales.
It is important to note, however, that behavioral assessments are not crystal balls. While they can be valuable tools, they should always be used in conjunction with other sources of information, such as interviews, references, and work samples. It is also important to ensure that assessments are interpreted by qualified professionals who are trained in the use of these tools.
At Omnia, we offer customized and computer-generated reporting options, thorough training to new client users, and unlimited access to our customer success team who are all fully certified in the interpretation of the Omnia Assessment.
How do Behavioral Assessments Help in Identifying Leadership Potential?
Behavioral assessments can also be used to help identify potential candidates for leadership positions or succession planning. Personality tests can help identify specific traits that are most often associated with effective leadership, such as assertiveness, independence, and resilience. By assessing an individual’s scores on these traits, personality assessments can help identify people who have the potential to be successful leaders.
By understanding an individual’s personality traits, employers can get an early glimpse into incoming employees’ potential for leadership and their natural leadership style, communication style, and decision-making style to determine whether they are likely to be effective in any of the leadership roles available throughout the organization. This can be particularly valuable in fast-paced, dynamic workplaces where strong management, rapid decision-making, and comfort with risk are essential to success.
Why is the Omnia Behavioral Assessment an Effective Tool for Team Building?
The Omnia behavioral assessment is also effective for team building, as it helps individuals understand how they can work together more effectively and leverage their unique strengths and preferences. By understanding each team member’s natural tendencies and work style, managers can develop strategies to build a more cohesive, productive team.
For example, cautious analytics want advance notice of what will be discussed in meetings, even brainstorming meetings. They like having time to organize their thoughts and ideas and can feel “put on the spot” otherwise. As a result, they might not participate fully if they are not given a heads-up, which can be frustrating for them, the manager, and the more social members of the team.
A behavioral assessment can also be used to identify potential areas of conflict within a team. An example of this is when two team members have significantly different work styles which can lead to communication gaps, misunderstandings, and conflict. By identifying these potential areas of conflict early on, managers can work with team members to develop strategies to improve communication and collaboration.
In addition, when team members are aware of how they naturally communicate and process information in comparison to others on the team, it creates an awareness and appreciation for those differences.
How to Leverage Behavioral Assessment for Employee Development?
Another benefit of the Omnia behavioral assessment is its ability to identify potential areas for employee development. The assessment provides managers and supervisors with a clear understanding of an individual’s traits, preferences, strengths, and weaknesses, which can then be used to develop personalized training and development plans and provide opportunities for each team member to use their strengths to their fullest potential.
For example, if an employee has a tendency to be overly critical of themselves and their colleagues, the Omnia behavioral assessment might reveal a high level of perfectionism (tall column 8). Armed with this knowledge, employers can work with the employee to develop a plan of action for mitigating this tendency and improving relationships with others, as well as assign tasks that align well to that tendency. Perfectionism can be a positive trait in many roles, like financial positions, support roles, and customer service.
How to Use the Insight from Personality Assessments for Employee Motivation and Engagement?
Personality assessments can be a powerful tool for leaders seeking to motivate their employees and keep them actively engaged at work. Knowing what makes employees tick arms leaders with the baseline data they need to develop strategies and implement programs that will inspire their employees, ultimately leading to increased productivity and job satisfaction.
For example, individuals who score high in assertiveness (a tall column 1 on the Omnia Assessment) are naturally motivated by competitive incentives, a sense of personal challenge, and opportunities to take charge, while individuals who score low in assertiveness (tall column 2) are motivated by team-based incentives or incentives that do not require taking risks.
Leaders can use this information to develop targeted strategies to motivate each team member. For example, a leader may offer challenging assignments or opportunities to take charge to a team member who scores high in assertiveness while offering recognition and social events to a team member who scores high in sociability.
A manager might provide more solitary, detailed assignments to a team member who scores low in sociability and high in structure while providing opportunities for collaboration to an employee who scores high in sociability. By tailoring tasks and assignments to each team member’s natural tendencies, leaders can create a more engaged workforce.
How to Use Personality Assessments to Create a Positive Workplace Culture?
In addition to providing targeted strategies for motivation, personality assessments can also be used to create a more positive workplace culture. By understanding the unique strengths and contributions of each team member, leaders can foster a sense of appreciation and respect for diversity within their team. They can use the information to create a more welcoming environment that supports different working styles and perspectives.
10 Benefits of Using Personality Assessment in the Workplace
Behavioral assessments have become an important tool for businesses seeking to enhance their human resource strategies. Let’s end with a list of 10 benefits of using personality assessment data.
- Improved hiring decisions: Personality tests can help employers make informed decisions when it comes to hiring candidates who are the best fit for the job. If you want to hire a strong sales candidate, you are likely looking for a high level of assertiveness and resilience. If you are looking for a bookkeeper, you need a high level of attention to detail and analytical aptitude.
- Better team dynamics: Understanding individual personalities can lead to better communication and collaboration between team members.
- Enhanced self-awareness: Personality tests can help employees better understand their own strengths, weaknesses, and working styles, leading to improved job satisfaction and performance.
- Career development: Personality tests can identify an individual’s potential for growth and development, which can help guide career planning and advancement.
- Conflict resolution: Understanding personality differences can help managers and employees appreciate different perspectives and navigate conflict in a more effective way.
- Effective leadership: Personality tests can identify traits associated with effective leadership, which can help organizations cultivate strong leaders.
- Improved employee retention: When employees feel that their individual needs and strengths are valued, they are more likely to stay with the organization.
- Increased job satisfaction: When employees feel that their work aligns with their personality and strengths, they are more likely to experience job satisfaction.
- Reduced stress: When employees are able to work in a way that aligns with their personality and strengths, they may experience less stress and burnout.
- Higher productivity: When employees are in roles that fit their personality and strengths, they are more likely to be productive and engaged in their work.
