The ISFJ in the Workplace

General Overview

ISFJs like a peaceful working environment. If they find themselves in a workplace that’s high pressure, causes a lot of stress for its workers, or is filled with people who don’t get along, ISFJs will find themselves becoming stressed and will feel powerless and ill at ease. This is the most important part of a workplace to an ISFJ, probably even more important than the actual tasks they have to do, and an ISFJ will rarely stay in a workplace that’s uncomfortable for any longer than they have to. They are quite good at creating this kind of peaceful workplace thought, and many happy working environments owe their serenity to an ISFJ.

In most of their workplaces, ISFJs take on altruistic roles. This type likes to help and serve others and they’re happiest when they can see that their skills are making someone else’s life better. This makes ISFJs natural networkers, their dedication to helping others and their emotional intelligence make this an ideal role for them. And even if their workplace doesn’t need official networkers, they’ll often take on this role naturally within their workplace, connecting colleagues and solving conflicts. This makes them very valuable in any workplace and is one of the best benefits that ISFJs offer to their workplace and their workmates.

Company and Society

ISFJs don’t mind working in traditional workplaces. They have a need for structure and routine that makes them a good match for these kinds of environments. They also usually have a natural respect for authority, especially authority that has lasted through time. These preferences come from their dominant function, introverted sensing, which relies on the past and memory to determine the value of the present. So most ISFJs will both feel at home in traditional workplaces and enjoy the inherent stability offered by these types of companies.

ISFJs often have an uneasy relationship with change. They’re actually quite good at adapting to new situations and new people, and will do so with few complaints. This is one of the benefits of their strong sense of loyalty. If they trust their managers or bosses, they’ll be content to follow them wherever they go. But they also need to understand the reasons for the proposed changes. ISFJs are strongly bound to emotion and to the happiness of the people around them, and if they think that any changes are unethical or will cause harm or damage to other people in some way they’ll end up very unhappy themselves. So an ISFJs boss would do well to explain the reasons behind a change before implementing them to ensure that the ISFJ understands and is on board.

Abuse in the Workplace

ISFJs can sometimes find themselves being used in the workplace. They have such a deep need to help others and to be useful that they can find themselves at the mercy of people who want to take advantage of this quality. This can lead to the ISFJ becoming overloaded with work that isn’t really theirs while at the same time they feel completely incapable of standing up for themselves. ISFJs avoid conflict wherever possible, so saying no to forceful people who push responsibilities or work on them can be extremely difficult for this type. This is because of their extraverted feeling function, which is dedicated to making others happy even at the ISFJs cost. An ISFJ who’s put in this kind of situation will be left feeling resentful, vaguely guilty and also fairly helpless until they learn to stand up for themselves a little.

Workplace Strengths

ISFJs are extremely dedicated people. They like to help others and to meet their needs and the working environment is often the ideal place for them to indulge these preferences. This makes them very good workers because they usually consider it to be a personal failure to fail or to not meet expectations. They also take a lot of pride in being active and valued members of a team. ISFJs are very focused on other people and on emotions because of their extraverted feeling auxiliary. It makes them very aware of the emotions of the people around them and drives them to create harmony and happiness in everyone. This gives them a lot of emotional intelligence and warmth that combines with their dedication to their work and their workplace. It causes them to connect emotionally, not only with their workmates and clients, but with their company, and this makes them extremely loyal people who are always willing to go the extra mile.

ISFJs have a unique ability to find solutions for problems that let all the relevant parties get what they need from the exchange. This comes partly from their emotional intelligence, which helps them to understand emotions and values to an astonishing degree. Because of it, ISFJs can look at a problem from both points of view, find a solution that will work for everyone, and convince the people involved that it’s the best option. These kinds of negotiating skills, as well as the dedication to ensuring everyone’s happiness, can lead to some very good outcomes in business settings. And ISFJs will take a lot of pleasure in using these skills in their work and with their workmates to ensure that the best outcome is always achieved.

Workplace Weaknesses

The emotional sensitivity of an ISFJ is also one of their greatest weaknesses. It makes them extremely sensitive to criticism, even if it’s given gently. An ISFJ will mull over the criticism for days if not weeks, and often take it as a personal attack and withdraw from that person. This also causes them to avoid conflict wherever possible, which can lead to the ISFJ going along with things that they don’t agree with, or being used by less scrupulous people who just want to avoid certain work or tasks. ISFJs are also very sensitive to the mood of a working environment, which means that their good mood can quickly fade away if other people in the workplace are unhappy, stressed or arguing.

Final Thoughts

ISFJs usually find a lot of satisfaction and pleasure in their workplace. It gives them the chance to interact with others and to use their impressive emotional skills to make their workplace better and happier. And most workplaces can benefit from the warm and good advice that an ISFJ brings.

References

1. Storm, Susan. “10 Signs That You Might Be an Introverted Sensor“. Oct 30, 2017. (Retrieved Apr 2018).
2. “Podcast: Extraverted Feeling vs Extraverted Thinking“. Nov 12, 2015. (Retrieved Apr 2018).
3. Granneman, Jenn. “Because You Can’t Stop Caring: 25 ISFJ Problems According to Twitter“. Jul 18, 2015. (Retrieved Apr 2018).
4. “ISFJ – The Nurturer“.
5. “The ISFJ Career Path“.
6. “The ISFJ as an Entrepreneur“.
7. “Best Jobs For Your Personality“.