‘Employee empowerment’ has become the new hot topic in workplace culture in recent years. Though it can include a number of factors, what this term boils down to is letting your employees have more say in how your business is run. If this is not done in the right way, however, letting your employees take a more active role in setting policies and guidelines could have a negative impact. Employees could start taking advantage and influencing policy for selfish reasons, or they could become lax in their duties and responsibilities. However, if done correctly and with the right team, empowerment in the workplace can have many benefits. When you stay on top of your employee details and allow them to make decisions in line with their preferences, you create a better workplace.
8 Benefits of Embracing Employee Empowerment in the Workplace
You Gather Valuable Input
The most effective changes you can make in your workplace are the ones that allow employees to be more efficient. Sometimes, the business owner is unaware of what fixes will benefit employees most.
When you let your employees in on the decision-making process, you can learn a lot of valuable information. Maybe providing flexible working schedules is on their wish list. Perhaps enabling shift-based employees to clock in via smartphones is more important to them. The bottom line is, you may never know if you don’t ask and let them participate in the process.
You Have More Productive Employees
When employees feel empowerment in the workplace, they tend to be more productive. Being involved in decisions takes away the resentment and bad feelings that are often present when employees are always told what to do.
Many employees in this situation will waste time as a form of protest. Others will just naturally become less concerned with how they do their jobs. However, when they feel empowered, you’ll find they work harder and have better attitudes.
You Have a More Engaged Workforce
Engagement can take on many forms. In the workplace, it means that employees care about their customers and co-workers. It also means they’ll actively strive to make the business a better place.
One of the best ways to improve engagement is to give employees an active say in how the business is run. When they become part of the solution, they become more accountable and will continue to be more involved.
It Improves Customer Service
When you focus on providing employee initiatives and other options that employees have told you are important, you have happier employees. There is plenty of proof that happy employees treat customers better.
You also create a more loyal team that is committed to treating customers right. If you want to improve customer service, engaging your team is a critical first step.
It Helps Your Company Embrace Change
Many businesses can become stagnant if they don’t listen to employee needs. Helpful tech like employee self-service software and enabling shift based employees to clock in via smartphones are often ideas that come from empowered employees. When you listen, your entire team can embrace change and stay relevant.
Regularly asking for ideas on new technology, such as employee self-service software, and systems that could improve your business is a great way to keep your business on the cutting edge. Enabling employees to manage their own time will also give them a renewed sense of responsibility.
It Can Help Your Bottom Line
Empowered employees can help you make changes that save you money. When you take employee suggestions and put systems in place to increase productivity, it helps your bottom line.
Benefits like reduced overtime and employees who get more done in less time will make your business more successful. You may also find that some employees have great ideas for new products or services you’ve never thought of. This can result in more revenue for your business.
You Will Appeal to the Right Employees
When you create an empowered workforce, you will naturally attract new employees who thrive in this type of environment. You will find that employees who need to be told what to do will go elsewhere. Employees who are self-starters and take initiative will begin to take notice of your company. Over time, your entire workplace culture will improve.
Employees Will Feel More Appreciated
To engage employees, you have to get to know them on a personal level. This by itself will improve your relations with them. When you stay on top of employee details like schedule preferences and how they prefer to communicate, they will feel appreciated and have more job satisfaction.
When you empower employees, everyone wins. You can gather important information on improvements they would like to see, and enable change. Initiative ideas like using employee self-service software and providing work from home options can often come directly from your team. An open minded and receptive management team encourages employees to share feedback and makes them feel valued. Consider giving your team more say in how your business is run and your entire company will improve.
