10 Ways to Boost Empowerment in the Workplace

An empowered workforce is something that is highly desirable in an improvement culture. Your employees are the backbone of your business. Empowering your employees will help ensure they remain engaged, and willing to perform to the best of their ability. Unfortunately, just because we want it, it doesn't make it so.

Empowering your employees involves providing them with a level of trust as well as permission to make certain decisions on their own, in order to fulfill their responsibilities within your organization and to further your company’s goals. Empowered employees are more confident in their role within the company as well as their longevity with your organization. This increases motivation and productivity – it can also help lower turnover. An employee who feels empowered in their role tends to be more satisfied in their position and more loyal to their employer.

Leaders of the organization must create the conditions for empowerment.  Here are 10 ways to boost empowerment in your workplace:

1. Be clear in your communication. When you express goals or explain projects, be sure the employees really understand what you are asking for. If the goals are unclear then the employees are not sure what they are being asked to do.

2. Eliminate barriers, restrictions and layers of protocol. The more steps, individuals, policies and departments employees have to work through to get results, the more frustrating and disempowering things actually are. Use cross-training, multi-department teams and projects, and trainings to help break down the boundaries and barriers that may exist between employees and departments.

3. Allow employees to suggest better ways of getting their jobs done. Ask for employee suggestions for other ways of getting the task or project accomplished. Listen and be willing to really hear the employees' comments. Employees hate to have no input and be told exactly how to perform their jobs, leaving no creativity.

4. Show you have trust in your employees. Allow them to make mistakes as a form of learning. Show that it is really OK to make mistakes. Trust that people have the right intentions and will make the right decisions, even if they are different than your own. Let them know you really support their decisions.

5. Encourage and reward improvement and innovation. Employees may be afraid to offer insight and new ways of doing things because the company culture doesn't support them. If you really want to empower employees, you'll need to create a company culture that encourages and rewards innovation. You may start by asking individuals to look for ways to improve efficiency, output, safety, etc. in the tasks they perform every day.

6. Listen. Listen. Listen. Do you do most of the talking? Be open to communication and ask your employees questions. They can demonstrate what they know and grow in the process.

7. Share leadership's vision. Help people feel they are a part of something bigger than themselves or their job by sharing your company's overall vision. Tell your employees the most important goals for your organization and let them know of the progress towards those goals

8. Allow employees to actively participate in team and company goals.  Look for every opportunity to include employees at every level of the organization, in being active participants. Employees can't be involved with one-way directives.

9. Be a coach. The best way to empower employees is not to manage them. Coach them to success. This is a process of developing their skills and providing them specific feedback to meet high standards. Employees want to be on the same team with their bosses. Be their coach and lead the team to success!

10. Communication. The key to empowerment is communication. Give every employee equal and direct access to information. Many companies have developed a trickle-down style of communication that alienates those employees who may not be "in the loop." The more informed employees are and the more communication is open, honest, direct and complete, the more likely employees are to feel empowered and connected to the daily operations and overall goals of their company.

Employee empowerment is at heart of any transformative journey—an essential element of today’s dynamic workplace culture. By entrusting employees with authority, resources, and responsibility, organizations unleash their full potential, inspiring them to take bold initiatives and make impactful decisions.

Empowerment takes time. Empowerment requires patience as we help develop and advance people’s skills. Empowerment means turning your stakeholders into shareholders by allowing them to take ownership and invest in the vision.