Four Steps for Empowering Employees in the Workplace

 

According to the Kellie Wong, 

01. Show employees that their feedback is important.

02. Recognize and empower.

03. Provide possibilities for professional development.

04. Make empowerment a cornerstone of your company's culture and vision.

There are numerous advantages to empowering employees, but implementing it in a company's culture requires a significant amount of focus. Follow these four steps to begin establishing best practices throughout your firm.

01. Show employees that their feedback is important.

Many organizations publish annual engagement surveys, but few read or act on the feedback. Survey weariness is caused by leadership's failure to respond quickly to input.

Encouraging employees to submit honest feedback on a regular basis and actively modifying your business to meet their requirements empowers them by giving them a meaningful say in how the organization operates. According to the Achievers' Engagement and Retention Report, 90% of employees are more likely to stay with a company that accepts and acts on input. 64 percent of HR and engagement leaders believe an always-on feedback platform is crucial for an engagement listening program. However, just 20% employ such a tool.

The timing and manner in which a corporation receives feedback have a direct impact on the outcomes obtained. Consider implementing an always-on, employee-driven feedback technology, such as a workplace chatbot, to allow employees to provide feedback in real time, in addition to pulse surveys.

Make sure you choose an employee feedback platform that tells leaders what motivates their staff through dashboards and heat maps that provide real-time insights and recommendations in every situation.

02. Recognize and empower.

Recognition goes a long way and is directly related to increased empowerment. According to Brandon Hall Group's Culture of Recognition Pulse Survey, organizations with a high rate of employee recognition have more than double the employee engagement, and employees who work for a company that consistently recognizes its employees are 79 percent more likely to give their employer a positive brand rating. praise also boosts motivation: 90 percent of employees say receiving praise encourages them to work harder.

Employees can be empowered by acknowledgment by receiving words of support, encouragement, and praise. Recognize their accomplishments so they know you care about their progress and trust them. Establishing an enabling culture requires recognition at all levels, including peers, supervisors, and the C-suite.

Recognizing behaviors that are consistent with corporate values encourages employees to repeat them by giving them the confidence they need to live the company principles. 92 percent of employees feel that being recognized for doing something correctly the first time increases their likelihood of doing it again. Using a recognition platform can help to develop an empowered atmosphere, promote individual performance, improve NPS scores, and increase stock price.

03. Provide possibilities for professional development.

Professional development and employee empowerment are closely linked. 87 percent of millennials, or one-third of the workforce, believe that staff development is crucial in their jobs. However, the need to prioritize professional development is not restricted by generation, as 40% of employees who receive inadequate training will leave their jobs within 5 years.

Invest in learning and development by encouraging employees to share their expertise, accept additional tasks, and attend industry conferences or events that will allow them to learn and enhance their abilities. HR should also create a clear roadmap for job growth inside their organization. Even if employees feel empowered, working toward a vague or unrealistic goal can be discouraging. Promoting people in-house demonstrates that growth and achievement have concrete rewards for your firm.

Companies should also ensure that there are lots of coaching, mentoring, and training programs available to promote morale and provide a clear sense of direction. Employees will not benefit from the partnership if psychological safety is not prioritized.

04. Make empowerment a cornerstone of your company's culture and vision.

It takes time and dedication to transform your corporate culture to focus on employee empowerment. According to Dr. Natalie Baumgartner, Chief Workforce Scientist at Achievers, "employees who feel 'heard' by leaders are 4.6 times more likely to feel empowered to do their best work," and leaders must "find ways to recognize everyday behaviors that align with company culture and goals." To foster an empowered culture, leadership must recognize its position as supporting employees rather than the other way around.

HR, managers, higher-level leadership, and employees must all feel empowered and well-prepared for success. Consider allowing existing employees to lead new employees through orientation, establishing mentorship circles or idea exchanges, and brainstorming new and exciting methods for employees to interact with different departments.

Empowering people fosters a resilient culture capable of adapting to any change, including global pandemics.

 References

Wong K., (2023), Employee empowerment: Definition, benefits, and tips, [Online], Available at:https://www.achievers.com/blog/employee-empowerment/, [Accessed on 01st April