Why Your Company’s Growth is Anchored in Employee Empowerment
When employees are empowered, their tanks are fueled for growth. This article explores how an empowerment strategy sets a foundation for translating inspired right action into business growth.
What is Empowerment?
Empowered employees know that they can find solutions to challenges and make decisions. They can take action to help clients, customers, and colleagues because they are trusted to do the right thing. If you have ever thought that empowering employees wouldn’t have such a significant impact on an organization’s success, think again. On average, disengaged employees cost U.S. companies up to $550 billion annually, all simply because they didn’t feel acknowledged or recognized.
Empowerment is having the knowledge, confidence, and means or ability to do things or make decisions for oneself. It’s also the degree of autonomy and self-determination in people and communities. It entails responsibility and the capacity to recognize and use resources.
Ways to Propel Employee Empowerment
Fostering empowerment in an organization involves recognizing employees’ need to speak up and take ownership of their roles. It forms the essential, yet necessary, building blocks of a holistic approach that develops a healthy relationship between an employer and employee that impacts a company’s long-term growth from the ground up.
Receive and Respond Openly to Feedback
In today’s job market, many employees fear losing their jobs if their suggestions disagree with their managers. This issue communicates a psychologically unsafe environment and a lack of trust between a company’s members.
Show a genuine interest in the opinion of everyone by providing opportunities and organizing channels for staff to give feedback, whether they require immediate action or for the future state. Listening will not go unnoticed. For example, including people from different backgrounds and perspectives provokes curiosity and confirms that they feel valued for inserting their voices.
Give a Degree of Autonomy and Encourage Ownership
Gifting employees with the ability to practice their leadership and a sense of autonomy enables them to have more personal responsibility they take for their work. It helps staff to feel trusted and respected for their time and effort. Generally, unless action needs to take place, employees bear the responsibility of their work seriously and will appreciate the flexibility enough not to jeopardize it.
Provide Feedback for Employees’ Growth
It makes a difference for employees and their empowerment when management is willing to guide them through mentor leadership programs or skill-based development training. The same goes hand-in-hand with creating new opportunities for growth in the company, including tackling exciting challenges with a positive attitude and seizing the path to a specific promotion. Doing so will show your team that you believe in them. Be willing to invest in them by helping them grow in their career.
Build a Culture of Affirmation and Care for Employees’ Well-Being
Recognition increases employees’ self-confidence and affirms the positive behavior and work that they are doing. In turn, it pays to regularly recognize their achievements and, in the process, build on their weakness and highlight their strengths. As you promote a culture of affirmation, employees also need protection for their well-being. Empowerment isn’t just structural; it’s relational. It involves letting them know that you genuinely care for them and actively look out for their well-being. Implementing mental health programs and providing resources are some ways you can extend care to your team.
Put Your People First with Employee Empowerment
Empowerment is powerful when it is anchored in trust. Trust affects how your employees feel when they work for you. A healthy culture emerges when everyone feels safe to share when they make mistakes and can trust they’ll be heard and supported.
How do you want your company to be remembered? Why would a candidate would choose to work for you? Remember this; it’s never too late to put people first. Prioritize who upholds the highest standards and ensures that a company’s staff thrives. It’s never too late to start. Begin forming a solid foundation that will carry your business through the future, no matter what it may have in store.