An autonomous and flexible work environment calls for a respect for rules and a genuine approach to dealing with others, even from a distance. (Photo: Shutterstock)

The COVID-19 outbreak has wreaked havoc on the nation's workforce. To date, 36.5 million Americans have filed unemployment claims, and waves of workers previously employed in face-to-face (F2F) service jobs are attempting to transition to work-from-home (WFH) jobs. According to data from pre-hire talent assessment company Harver, 36% of WFH applicants previously in F2F service jobs are coming from food/restaurant service and 32% are waitstaff. Receptionists are next on the list at 13%.

This presents an opportunity for employers to identify personality traits that may indicate whether or not new applicants coming from F2F work will thrive in a WFH environment.

Related: 10 commandments for working from home during the pandemic

A new study from Harver has determined the following four characteristics as ideal for remote work:

1. Conscientiousness. Harver defines conscientiousness as "a natural tendency to organize [the worker's] time and surroundings as well as autonomously work towards their goals in a disciplined way." Ben Porr, vice president of People SciencIne at Harver, stressed in an e-mail that conscientiousness is the most important personality characteristic for a WFH worker. "Conscientiousness is predictive across most jobs, but especially in a work from home setting when the person needs to be more autonomous and diligent with their work and schedule," he said.

2. Agreeableness. "Agreeable people are likely to be cooperative, friendly, and practice good listening skills," says Porr. "Of course, this is relevant for service jobs such as contact center roles because it taps into empathy and helpfulness. But from a work from home position, these people also tend to reach out more to teammates and coaches to share best practices, connect with others and gather feedback."

3. Openness to experience. Recalling Carol Dweck's "growth mindset," Harver's third characteristic refers to an individual's ability to explore new ways of doing things and be motivated by changing situations.

4. Integrity. An autonomous and flexible work environment calls for a respect for rules and a genuine approach to dealing with others, even from a distance. Additionally, says Porr, "you need people who can be trusted with PII [Personally Identifiable Information] and other sensitive information. This becomes harder to monitor in a work from home environment."

"It's interesting to think about how this current crisis we are dealing with will actually shape people's personality characteristics in the future," Porr says. "There is debate over whether personality is fixed, but I think based on the research, we can confidently say it's fairly fixed, but through awareness and focus a person can adapt their style in certain situations. You can think of it like exercising. If I want to get into better shape, I can't just make it happen. I need to make a conscious decision to change my behaviors and then spend time on gradually changing my stamina or strength. Personality works in much the same way."

In a survey consisting of 1,000 respondents conducted by Harver a little over two weeks into the pandemic, 14% of job applicants said they were willing to take a pay cut.

Click here to read the full study.

Read more: 

• Your remote workforce: Tools and processes for a smoother transition
• Successfully shifting hiring and management strategies for the remote workforce
• Work-from-home apps are on the rise; can you guess which is on top?