In this article, we break down what makes employees feel empowered, how it benefits organisations and the individuals they employ, and provide eight steps to get you started to empower employees effectively.
Table of Contents
What is Employee Empowerment?
Employee empowerment can mean different things depending on who you talk to. We define employee empowerment as an organisational ethos that gives employees autonomy over their work and professional development, enabling them to feel more in control, stronger and more confident in their roles.
Depending on your business or organisation, employee empowerment can look different for specific companies or industries. Giving autonomy and decision-making responsibilities to someone working on a production line is not the same as allowing a content creator to decide when they want to take a break, for example.
However, some general principles lead to more employee engagement, satisfaction and empowerment, which can be applied to all organisations. Empowered employees are:
- aware that they are valued for their work and respected as individuals
- able to bring their voice to the table and know it will be heard
- given control over their work and allowed to make their own decisions
Examples of tactics to increase feelings of empowerment among employees can include having a voice in process improvement, helping to create and manage new systems, and running smaller departments with less oversight from higher-level management.
What are the Benefits of Employee Empowerment?
Empowering employees is beneficial to both the individual employees and the wider organisation. When employees feel empowered, they usually work smarter, better and more creatively, which benefits other team members and the business objectives in different ways. Let’s take a closer look at these benefits.
Benefits of Employee Empowerment for Employers
Creating a culture of employee empowerment can have a significant impact on a company’s success in the following ways:
Higher productivity and creativity: Employees who feel in control of their work and can make their own decisions are more likely to be engaged and work faster and smarter. Engaged employees may also feel more able to express their creativity and find new ways to reduce costs or generate more income.
Increased employee motivation: Employees who feel empowered are more likely to have an emotional investment in their workplace and are more motivated to achieve organisational goals.
Better rates of retention: Empowered employees usually feel valued by their company’s leaders and are, therefore, more likely to stay working for them, resulting in a more stable, less transient workforce. Stability in the workforce benefits companies by reducing recruitment costs and helping employees stay focused on meeting their strategic objectives.
Positive brand reputation: Empowered employees feel good about their work and are likelier to go the extra mile for customers. Not only does this have a positive impact commercially, but it also helps to attract prospective employees.
Benefits of Employee Empowerment for Employees
Feeling empowered in an organisation’s success and their role can have a positive impact on employees in several ways:
Improved job satisfaction: When people feel empowered to do their jobs, they are more likely to be engaged, motivated and connected with the broader business.
Better work-life balance: Allowing employees to make their own decisions and feel more in control of their working day can help them manage their time better, allowing them to deliver what is required professionally while balancing their personal responsibilities.
Development opportunities: Empowered employees know their skills and are confident in making the most of opportunities to develop them through training or additional responsibilities in new positions.
Trust in leadership: When a company’s culture is built around encouraging employees and empowering leaders, employees usually feel that they can trust those leaders, which in turn helps them feel safer and secure in that work.
8 Steps to Empower Employees at Work
Anything that strengthens the employee-employer relationship is part of implementing employee empowerment. The following steps are all ways that individuals within an organisation can be made to feel valued, respected and confident in their ability to perform their roles to a high standard:
1. Establish clear expectations and guidelines
When people understand what is expected of them, they are more likely to feel psychologically safe and more confident in their abilities. Provide employees with guidelines, and they have a clear idea of what is acceptable and not.
2. Give employees autonomy
Employees who are trusted to make their own decisions are more likely to feel ownership over the business outcomes of their work and to take pride in what they are personally delivering.
3. Ask for and listen to feedback
Employees who feel they have a voice are more likely to be motivated and inspired to do good work. Use surveys, performance review data and 360 feedback tools to find out what employees think and make response changes. Ensuring confidentiality and the ability to give feedback without negative consequences is also key to creating a culture that really values feedback.
4. Treat people as individuals
When employees feel that they are seen as the individuals they are, they are more likely to feel valued, improving their confidence and empowering them.
5. Focus on communication
It’s easy to take how we communicate for granted, but listening to what doesn’t work and using different methods can significantly change how connected people feel. When people understand the bigger picture of their role in a business, they are more likely to be invested in their work and become empowered to do it well.
6. Reward and recognise employees
Having your work validated somehow, whether through compensation or company-wide recognition, can greatly impact how empowered an employee feels. Having good work acknowledged makes us feel more confident and inspires us to do more of the same. However, these reward schemes need to be meaningful, fair and consistent.
7. Training programs & development opportunities
Companies that actively support individuals in growing their skill set and taking on new opportunities send an important signal to employees that they are valued. Training, mentorship programs, and career opportunities are all chances for employees to grow in confidence.
8. Implement a growth mindset culture
Making mistakes is accepted and celebrated as part of the learning process in a growth mindset culture. When companies embrace this company culture, they help empower employees by giving them the confidence to take risks, knowing they will be supported.
FAQs
How do you measure employee empowerment?
Employee empowerment is measured by regularly surveying employees to get a clear idea of how much autonomy they feel they have in their working lives.
What are the three main pillars of empowerment?
The main pillars of empowering employees are trust, support and flexibility. Organisations that promote employee empowerment trust their employees to do their jobs well, provide a supportive culture to help them do so, and have a flexible approach, including accepting that mistakes will happen.
What is an example of empowerment in leadership?
Empowered leadership involves delegating properly, making decisions efficiently, listening to and acting upon feedback, and communicating strategically.
