Why Employee Empowerment Is Important to Your Work Culture 

09 Nov Why Employee Empowerment Is Important to Your Work Culture 

If asked, would your employees feel as if their opinion of their work, and of your company’s efforts, matter? Would they feel like they could speak up and make a change? 

Empowered employees — those who feel like they have a say in matters, that their opinion matters and that they’re being heard when they speak up — are more likely to be engaged in their work, more invested in what they’re doing and are less likely to leave. 

Let’s dive a little deeper into how employee empowerment is important to your work culture. 

• Improved engagement. Employees who feel like they can be involved in conversations about the workplace overall are more likely to buy in. They’ll feel invested in the company’s work, successes and outcomes because now it’s personal to them. Those who, instead, feel like their job is just a job and that they’re working in a vacuum, won’t care as much about whether something succeeds or fails. It won’t matter because they get paid to do their job, regardless of how a project goes. If they feel invested, that all changes. It becomes personal. 

• Empowerment breeds confidence. Employees who feel that their managers listen to and trust them will be more confident in their efforts. They’ll know that making a mistake might happen, but it will be viewed as a learning experience, not reason to fear being reprimanded or otherwise getting into trouble. Confident employees are more willing and interested in speaking up and offering new ideas, coming up with creative solutions to problems and looking at routines with fresh eyes. It’s the sense that maybe there is a better, or at least different, way to do things, and if their way works, it’s better for everyone. 

• Reduce turnover. Employees who don’t feel like they matter to the company, or that their opinion or suggestion doesn’t matter, will stop raising their hands. They’ll stop offering to help out their coworkers. The only thing they might start to do is look for another place to work, especially if they feel like they, personally, won’t be missed, or that their departure won’t be noticed. Turnover is an expensive problem for companies, once the costs of finding a new employee and then training them until they get up to speed is factored in; retention is a boost to your bottom line. Empowered employees stay. 

• Empowerment improves teamwork. When kids play on a little league team, or participate in a play, they’re taught from the beginning that they succeed together, that it is really important for everyone to do their best and work together so they can celebrate together. Empowered employees, who feel like they’re part of a team at work and that their contributions are important, will embrace their role and will be more willing to pitch in and help out, for the greater good. 

Take a moment and think about your team. Imagine if one of them left. How would that negatively impact your company and the team they work on? Imagine, now, how much stronger everyone’s contributions might be if they felt more cohesive, if they felt like they had a say in their work and that they were more invested in themselves and each other? Empowering your team can do just that. 

If you’re looking for more advice, or if you’re looking to expand your team, LeadingEdge Personnel can help! We have experts ready to provide more insights to help build the bond among your team and, when the time is right, can help you find strong candidates that will buy in to your workplace culture. Call LeadingEdge Personnel today to get started!