FSE du Collège Joseph-Anglade

We’ve talked a lot about the importance of employee well-being and engagement, but employee empowerment in the workplace is a key predictor of engagement (and other outcomes) — it’s also different from engagement. More companies now understand that when you give employees more responsibility and power, it can actually benefit both the people and the business.

In fact, according to the Harvard Business Review, research has shown that, “when employees feel empowered at work, it’s associated with stronger job performance, job satisfaction and commitment to the organization.”

What is employee empowerment in the workplace?

People define employee empowerment in a number of ways. We believe employee empowerment is about accountability and trust. It’s when you give employees a certain degree of autonomy and responsibility for decision-making in their daily work. But it’s more than just that. When you empower employees to step up, make their own decisions and pave their own path to success, you create a better workplace culture, learn more about the benefits of embrace diversity.

The benefits of employee empowerment

Empowered employees are loyal, committed and potentially more productive. When employees have the tools and resources to successfully manage or lead their own projects, work toward their goals and drive their own career, the benefits are endless.

Empowered employees are more likely to:

• Go the extra mile
• Follow best practices
• Be more productive
• Have good communication
• Embrace change
• Have a “can do” attitude
• Provide better customer service

How to empower employees today

So, how do you spark employee empowerment in the workplace? At Limeade, we weave employee empowerment into the daily roles of our employees. We make sure to enable, inspire and encourage individuals to take steps to improve their work experience, increase their work engagement and help build an inclusive culture.

How to empower employees in six steps:

1. Offer authority and ownership by handing out responsibility. Let an employee take on a new project — and run with it. When you delegate different (even small) tasks to an employee, it empowers her to get the job done, and done well.
2. Make guidelines and best practices clear. When employees understand the guidelines they should work within and which boundaries they can push, they’re able to do their job more effectively and feel more supported.
3. Encourage communication to increase levels of trust and show that all ideas are welcome and valued.
4.  Offer individual or team coaching to identify roadblocks, find solutions and then take action.
5.  Allow opportunities for growth. Foster internal development and growth across departments with cross-department job shadows and transitions.
6.  Provide organizational support for employees to create and drive their own development plans with their managers.