What is employee empowerment in the workplace?

Employee empowerment, what is it? To put it simply, employee empowerment is when a business places trust in their employees to control their own day to day activities in the workplace. Ultimately, it gives employees a level of responsibility and autonomy to manage their own tasks.

But there’s a question in many people’s thoughts: why is empowerment in the workplace important? Empowerment in business can see many great things happen in your organisation; it can improve relationships between management and employees through placing trust in them to complete their work. Empowered employees are more likely to be more productive, go the extra mile for your organisation, perform better and embrace change.

So, how can we promote employee empowerment in the workplace? Look no further, we’re here to bring you ideas on how you can encourage empowerment in the workplace.

Employee voice

There are no two ways about it, employee voice and intranet surveys are at the forefront of any successful business plan.

Businesses that take the time to listen to their employees will find that their employees will always go the extra mile. An easy way to encourage employee empowerment in the workplace is to give them a voice when it comes to the important stuff.

Your employee intranet or an employee engagement app are perfect places to give your employees a voice and enable them to get involved in key projects and decision making. Not empowering your employees with a platform to voice their views and opinions could lead to damage further down the line.

Not giving your employees a voice can lead to frustrations between employees and employers, leading them to vent on more public platforms such as social media and job sites like Glassdoor. This can damage a business’ reputation.

Allowing your people to get involved in key business decisions will encourage employee empowerment across your organisation. It’s also a good tool for identifying any areas that may need to be improved in your business.

If there are any changes or big projects going on in your organisation creating a ‘hub’ relating to that is a great way to get your employees involved. An intranet knowledge base is a good way to start.

Your employees will be able to share ideas, ask questions and make any suggestions they deem necessary. Remember, your employees are your biggest asset, so empowering them with an intranet messaging platform to share their ideas will make them feel valued and appreciated in the workplace.

Encourage improvement

Instead of taking your employees off for a stern word when they get something wrong, try and encourage them to improve. We all make mistakes, it’s part of life and when something goes wrong is the best way to deal with it to tell someone off and tell them to give up? Of course not.

Employee empowerment is more than giving your employees the tools to do their jobs and self-improvement plays a huge role in empowerment in the workplace.

There’s nothing worse than not succeeding at something and then your superior tells you to give up because you’re not good enough. So, encourage your employees to work on areas they need to develop; it’ll enable them to enhance their skills and become experts in their role.

Recognise their strengths

Obviously, encouraging improvement plays a huge part in empowerment in the workplace, but don’t forget to play to the strengths of your employees. If a project comes up where you think a particular employee will excel, then get them on board.

Remember, if you assign someone to a task where they can demonstrate their strong skill set, they’re more likely to be comfortable participating and work to the best of their ability. It’s a great way to promote employee empowerment as it’s a chance for them to demonstrate their strongest skills.

Build trust 

Pretty self-explanatory right? If you want to encourage employee empowerment in your organisation there’s going to have to be some degree of trust. Of course, trust works both ways, your employees should have just as much trust in you as you have in them.

Trust is essential to empowerment in the workplace. And, luckily there are many ways to demonstrate trust between employees and leaders. First, delegate tasks to your employees that they will be capable of completing without help from management.

Giving employees autonomy over their tasks will put them in control, ultimately strengthening trust and enabling them to work on skills such as management and time-keeping.

Be sure to leave your door open for your employees to pop their heads in if they have any concerns, if they need help or if they just want a chat away from work. Although you’re probably thinking ‘I thought the whole point in employee empowerment was to let them take charge.’ Well yes, it is, but completely leaving them in the dark and not being there to help them when they need it will probably cause more damage further down the line.

Be willing to invest 

‘Invest in your employees, invest in your business’ is how the saying goes. As many people say, investing is a two-way street. If you invest in your people, they’ll invest in your business.

You can promote employee empowerment by investing in development programmes where your employees can work on their weaknesses and enhance their strengths.

Be willing to look at any tools they may need to complete their tasks. For example, there may be new marketing software that your team thinks will benefit your business. Take the time to look at it instead of shutting it down or dismissing it because of the budget. If it’s something that’s going to benefit your team and your business, it has to be worth it.

Summary

Empowerment in the workplace is something that many businesses see as not necessary. But the truth is, it has so many benefits and many that can make the workplace a much happier place for your employees.

Empowering your employees instead of micro-managing improves accountability, customer service, job satisfaction and can make a business more agile. So, get out there and make employee empowerment a top priority in your organisation.

Improve your business’ performance by using our trusted company intranet software and employee engagement app. Book an intranet demo today and let us show you how Oak Engage can help you.