Employee Empowerment in Action

A successful manager is someone who creates successful careers for his people. They are able to make them contribute, direct, and make themselves absolutely happy working for a winning team. This is why Employee Empowerment needs to come in to action as a means of achieving these targets. Employee empowerment means “unleashing the power and creativity of employees by giving them the freedom, resources, information and skills to make decisions and perform effectively” (Daft, 2003).

In light of empowerment, managers need to demonstrate that they value their people. From rewards to recognitions and also to small genuine gestures made in favor of them goes a long way. “Trust the intentions of people to do the right thing, make the right decisions and make choices that still work” (Heathfield, 2019). Providing frequent feedback is crucial so that people know how they doing and what needs improvement. Always room should be given to listen and also freely to communicate with them so that they are comfortable in their job role.

Benefits of Employee Empowerment

Improved work outcomes - Employee empowerment allows employees to do their work with a sense of ownership. They are accountable for their own decisions leading to better outcome.

Increased Employee Satisfaction – Empowered employees consider their jobs to be satisfying and engaged to accomplish goals.

Cost Benefits – Sharing accountability of decision making is beneficial for both the employer and employee. For an example, “at Toyota, the company experiences cost savings every time a worker prevents a defective car from leaving the plant” (Adkins, 2017).

Career Development - “The more you empower your employees, the more they will grow and thrive” (Kasanoff, 2016). Empowerment allows great opportunities to widen skills and demonstrate capabilities. Therefore more chances are given for excelling in the career.

Employee Retention – “Organizations that acknowledge employee’s opinion create stable working environment of honor, contentment and respect” (Daniel, 2010). Such workplaces have a greater likelihood of retaining employees than those who do not practice empowerment.

Empowerment provides the basis for embracing change. Empowered culture attracts potential employees that genuinely aspire to join the firm. Thus creating an empowered workplace is a necessity of todays’ highly competitive market in order to build competitive advantage over all its competitors.

References

Adkins, W. (2017). The Advantages of Employee Empwerment. [online] Available at https://careertrend.com/advantages-employee-empowerment-4894.html [Accessed 8 Jun. 2019].

Daniel, H. (2010). Benefits of Employee Empowerment. [online] Available at http://benefitof.net/benefits-of-employee-empowerment/ [Accessed 8 Jun. 2019].

Daft, R. (2003). Management. 6th ed. Thomposon, pp.55-56.

Heathfield, S. (2019). Top 10 principle to employee empowerment. [online] Available at https://www.thebalancecareers.com/top-principles-of-employee-empowerment-1918658 [Access 8 Jun. 2019].  

Kasanoff, B. (2016). 10 powerful ways to Empower your people. [online] Available at https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucekasanoff/2016/03/24/10-powerful-ways-to-empower-your-employees/#1612617b7427 [Accessed 8 Jun. 2019].