Over the last year, most employers have found that COVID-19 pandemic has forced them to adapt in new ways, one of which is having a sharp rise in employees working remotely. It is important to keep in mind that it is still the employer’s responsibility to motivate and empower their employees.

What is Employee Empowerment?  

Employee empowerment is about supporting your employees, it refers to the manner, in which the company decides what they provide to the employee to enable them to succeed. The goals set forth should be clearly defined to provide employees with anything and everything they need to enable success. It assists with providing them boundaries and permissions to be able to take action to make day-to-day decisions about how to complete work and assignments.  

This can be achieved in a variety of ways; however, it is important to focus in these key areas:  

- Check in with employees for feedback.
- Provide growth opportunities.
- Recognize the employees frequently.
- Provide the proper tools, and training.
- Developing set boundaries for the employee to operate within.

“It’s not the tools you have faith in–tools are just tools–they work, or they don’t work. It’s the people you have faith in or not.”— Steve Jobs

What are the Benefits of Employee Empowerment?

Empowering employees leads to many benefits for the employee, as well as the employer. It leads to the employees being more creative and helpful; builds trust between the company and the employee; and helps motivate the employees. All of this can lead to more production which in turn, improves the company’s bottom line.  

‍Motivated Employees:

Motivating employees helps them understand the company’s objectives and the long-term goals. It shows how meaningful their work is to the company and helps to bring meaning to the employee as well.  

‍Builds Trust Between the Company and the Employee:  

Empowering employees and showing that they are valued for the effort they put in everyday, and their opinion helps to build trust. When trust is built, employees are more likely to come to you with any ideas and issues. Think of yourself as a coach pushing and supporting the team member, so they can achieve their best result. This instills the confidence in the employee that they are recognized for the hard work they do and would not be taken advantage of.

Improved Creativity:

Empowering employees can lead to more creativity. Whether that is done by collaboration between team members or building the confidence for them to think for themselves. This can result in employees being more committed with meeting their goals and using their creativity to be able to do so with less oversight.  

‍A Stronger Bottom Line:

Empowering employees leads to more productivity and the employee being more engaged with their work. Disengaged employees can result in costing the company time and money if the employee is uninterested in completing the work to the best of their capabilities.  

What Steps Should I Be Taking?

1. Obtaining Employee Feedback  

Taking the time to speak to your employees, requesting feedback and listening to their concerns is invaluable. It shows that their opinion is respected and that they have a true voice in how the company operates.  Remember to ask them questions, ask how they would accomplish a task, instead of telling them exactly how it should be done.  

2. Recognition  

Show the employee that you recognize their hard work and the efforts they put into the job. Give them support, encouragement, and praise, even for the ideas that might not have worked. Showing that you believe in their capabilities and that you have faith that they can achieve the goals they have set for themselves, can go a long way with empowering them.    

3. Professional growth opportunities

During an employee’s term with the company the employee can change and grow with the company. Provide ways for the employee to do so, whether that is with learning, career advancement, mentoring/coaching programs, or asking what they are interest in accomplishing. This assists with improving employee retention, if you do not grow with the employee, they could end up leaving the company or becoming stagnant.    

‍4. Include Empowerment in Company Culture  

We have previously established how important it is to build a positive culture within your company. Including empowering employees in the company culture from the beginning will show employees how they are immediately valued and be sure to include it for all levels of the company.    

5. Set Boundaries  

Set the boundaries that the employee needs to be able to make the decision they need to complete the tasks they are assigned. Whether that is a budget they can work with, or the general amount of time that they must complete it, allowing the autonomy to finish the task can build trust between the employee and employer. Be generous where you can be in setting boundaries, to give the employee the flexibility they need, and listen when they say if they require more time to complete a task.  

6. Forgive Mistakes  Mistakes are bound to happen within the company, building trust with the employee can show that they can come to management when a mistake is made. When this happens, a plan can be made to correct it, and you can address how the mistake happened and how to prevent the same mistakes from being made in the future. Allow the employee to grow from it, instead of having it define them.    

7. Provide Necessary Resources

Not having the proper resources available to be able to complete a task can hinder the employee’s productivity. Be sure to provide all the tools necessary, to ensure that tasks are being completed within a timely manner. An example of this can be having an online SharePoint that acts as an information database that all employees have access to.  

8. Set Egos Aside  

It can be very easy to believe that your idea is the best, or that you know better than others. Take the time to process any new ideas and try to listen more to the employees.  

Overall, the key takeaway should be that employee empowerment is a very important tool for companies and management to use within their company culture.  

“In technology, it’s about the people–getting the best people, retaining them, nurturing a creative environment, and helping to find a way to innovate.” — Marissa Mayer

BluePrint CPAs helps early-stage life science firms digitize their businesses and ensure that staff are well trained and engaged to maximize the financial value of their business. Our Talent Strategy Team assists with developing the plans and culture needed to help employees and their companies thrive. Book a consultation today.  

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