We have already posted about the 6 types of engineer bosses. That is intended for newly-hired employees in a company so that they will be able to know how to work with the bosses they have. This time, we have categorized engineer employees into six, like in the other list, but for the company managers to have an idea on how to deal with their subordinates.
It is important for managers to know the types of employees they have because the outputs, results, and productivity of the company depend on these people. Regardless if they belong to the good or bad ones, the employees deserve the right and fair management. They should feel that they are assets in a company, so you, as a manager, should be able to know how to treat them.
Here are the six types of engineer employees:
The Social Butterfly
Referred to as the “people” person, this is the type of employee who has valuable relationships in the workplace. He or she is almost friends with everybody, including fellow engineers, clerks, and even the bosses.
Because this engineer is popular and connected with the others, you can harness this by coaching him to become a leader. He or she already has an influence, you only have to use that in good ways. You can encourage him or her to promote collaboration between different teams at times when necessary.
The Leader
You know that you have an engineer who is a leader when he or she spearheads in many tasks. He or she volunteers to do the work, speaks up in meetings first, and taking the lead in projects.
As a manager, you are already fortunate to have this kind of employee – your task now is to tone or control the leadership as he or she can overstep roles and frustrate others by being bossy. On a more positive note, the engineer leader only need to be empowered to have great impact in the company.
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The Harsh Critic
When you have an employee who is critical not only to their fellow workers but to themselves, you have a “harsh critic.” This is one of the bad types of employees because he or she drags personal performance due to an unrealistically high standard.
What to do about this type of engineer? Talk to them. Find ways on how to improve them. Because this is the type who is emotional, he or she only needs to have a manager who cares about their well-being. He or she will be in the right track eventually.
The Introvert
There is some magic with introverted engineers – while they are usually quiet, they still have something to contribute when they speak out. Even their introversion has positive sides, since it is believed that those who do not speak too much, think too much. For that they have great ideas and they only need to say them.
That is your role as the manager: let those ideas come out, while making themselves comfortable doing it. Also give them valuable work that they can do on their own, although rare, since engineering is mostly in a collaborative environment.
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The Procrastinator
Employees who have trouble with time management are the procrastinators. Usually they cram, doing tasks the last minute. While it works at times, when much time is given to a certain work the results could be a lot better.
To manage this kind of employee, you have to check what causes the procrastinating behavior. Does he or she have different priorities? What things does he work on before the important ones? Once discovered, the other thing that you could do as a manager is to monitor the progress from time to time, or schedule the big tasks into smaller ones.
The Fresh Graduate
Most managers take in fresh graduates in a company because of their potentials. Most likely, the fresh legs are enthusiastic, sharp, and willing to learn.
What better way to manage this engineer is to give them feedback – because he or she has to know how he or she performs. Also, set clear expectations and communicate regularly. This is the key to make him or her grow as an engineer under your mentorship.
Source: The La Salle Network
