Too often, we hear friends and family complaining about their jobs and how much they hate going to work every day. No one likes working for a company that cares only about revenue, doesn’t listen to its employees and refuses to recognize hard work. This creates a negative, uninviting atmosphere where stress is high and the need to get out is even higher.
But when employees feel empowered at their jobs, they’re more likely to want to succeed and take on tasks with confidence. Although the best method for achieving employee empowerment will be unique to each individual worker, there are several popular empowerment strategies you can use. Doing so will make for a more beneficial work experience for both you and your team.
10 tips to empower your employees
If you’re looking for ways to empower your employees, here are 10 essential tips to get you started.
1. Communicate expectations.
Your team can’t meet your expectations if you don’t tell them what they are. By defining clear boundaries for them to work within, you can properly communicate what you want while still giving your employees free rein to work as they please.
This promotes emotional intelligence and will prevent you from micromanaging their work or getting frustrated in the future when they don’t do something you expected of them. By stating what you want from employees directly, there’s no room for confusion, less room for error and more room for growth.
2. Be flexible.
Above all else, your employees are human. There will be times when life happens and they need to take some time off work or would prefer different work arrangements. More and more companies are realizing that the more flexibility they give their team members, the more productive and committed they are to working toward business goals with a lower risk of burnout. [Read related article: Why Remote Work Makes Good Business Sense]
According to a survey by FlexJobs, 43 percent of employees have quit their jobs because they didn’t allow remote-work options and 41 percent have quit due to lack of flexible scheduling. Giving workers options to accommodate how they’d like to work and taking their needs seriously will show them you trust their work ethic.
Did You Know?
Flextime is a great benefit companies can offer to be more flexible with employee schedules.
3. Encourage feedback and ideas.
Some of the best ideas can come from your hardworking employees who strive to grow your business every day. When was the last time you asked them their serious opinion on something related to the company?
Since we already know employee engagement is important to achieving overall organizational success, asking for your employees’ input shows them that what they say matters and empowers them to be honest about their opinions. They’ll also be more likely to be engaged in the outcomes when their feedback is taken into consideration.
4. Delegate important tasks.
It isn’t enough to tell employees you trust their decision-making skills and ability to problem-solve and get work done. You have to show them, and the best way to do this is to delegate different yet important tasks to them. Giving employees new opportunities to prove themselves keeps workers motivated to work hard and shows them they’re trusted to take on more significant responsibilities than the norm.
5. Supply them with the resources they need.
You can’t expect employees to succeed if you haven’t given them the tools and resources they need to actually be successful. Empower your team by providing them with what they need to do their job well. Follow up with them regularly to assess and address their current needs.
This not only makes it easier for them to do their job, but it also shows them you care about their success. When workers feel appreciated and have the resources to succeed, they are more empowered to do their job and do it well.
6. Provide constructive feedback.
In addition to soliciting feedback, offering employees constructive feedback is crucial. When you provide staff members with formal and informal performance assessments, it helps them learn from past behaviors and further develop their skills. It also shows that you care about their professional development and empowers them to focus on improvement.
To provide effective feedback, create a safe space and a regular cadence for how and how often you provide performance reviews. You can do this by holding weekly one-on-ones, quarterly reviews and annual reviews.
Bottom Line
You should foster a work environment that encourages informal feedback at any time. Ensure your employees know they don't have to wait until a formal review period to discuss their performance.
7. Praise their accomplishments.
When your employees do something that exceeds your expectations or they take a few minutes out of their day to help someone else out, they should be recognized for it. Employee appreciation positively impacts retention. A little bit of praise goes a long way, and vocalizing someone’s good deeds and hard work will motivate them to continue their stellar efforts.
8. Share the company vision and mission statement.
Your company should have a vision and mission statement, and it is vital your employees know what they are. Set aside some time each year to review these objectives with your team and identify ways their specific roles fold into those statements. Employees are more empowered when they feel connected to their organization and understand how their role contributes to its overall success.
9. Create a positive and inclusive workspace.
Everyone wants to work in a positive, upbeat workplace where they feel safe and acknowledged. Create a work environment that encourages employees to do their best, speak their minds, and contribute to discussions and projects. You can empower employees by making the office a positive place where all people and opinions are welcome.
FYI
If you want to learn more about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace, check out these real-life examples for improving DEI.
10. Lead by example.
Don’t just talk the talk; walk the walk. You can set rules and expectations for employees, but you need to lead by example. If you yourself don’t follow the guidelines you set forth, it won’t be long before employees follow suit. Inspire your team and show them how to feel empowered by demonstrating it yourself.
Importance of empowering your employees
Empowering your employees is more than just a feel-good thing to do; it actually has several benefits for your business. Here are just a few key advantages:
- Engagement and productivity: When employees feel empowered, they are frequently motivated to be more productive and engaged in their work. According to research by Gallup, companies with engaged employees see an 18 percent spike in productivity. When your employees feel important, quality results will trail behind them.
- Customer service: Since empowered workers are more engaged with their jobs, they tend to provide better customer service. This can be a big win for your business since Shep Hyken’s recent Achieving Customer Amazement study found that 82 percent of customers trust a company more if it provides excellent customer service.
- Employee satisfaction and retention: Empowered employees are more satisfied with their jobs than unempowered employees. Teams with higher employee satisfaction and engagement rates tend to have lower employee absenteeism and turnover rates.
Did You Know?
There is a simple calculation to determine your employee turnover rate: employee turnover = (number of employees who left ÷ average number of employees) x 100.
Getting started with employee empowerment
It’s not easy to manage a team of employees. But with the intent to do well and help your team reach their individual and collective goals, you can lead them on a path where they don’t loathe coming to work every day and might actually look forward to it.
Be upfront about your expectations so you’re on the same page, listen to what they have to say, trust them to do their job without being micromanaged and praise them for all they do. By doing so, your company will reap the benefits of an empowered staff, and your workplace culture will remain happy and productive.
Chris Christoff contributed to this article.
