Are you an entrepreneur or leader who manages people? Well, in that case, you should know that your employees are the ones who build the foundation for your success. Without them running your business and managing it to achieve your goals seems like an impossible thing to do.
So it’s your duty to ensure that your employees are happy with their work and are comfortable in the environment they are working from. And one of the ways to do that is to empower them. This means that you give them the power to make certain decisions or take actions without requiring approval from anyone.
Doing this will not only boost employee satisfaction but will also build trust, increase motivation and help retain your employees for longer. But how do you make your employees feel empowered? Let’s find out.
1. Offer Decision-Making Abilities
I know that it can be intimidating to allow your employees to have decision-making powers. But you have to do it as your company scales. So, understand how to do it easily.
First, you need to let your employees know what you expect them to do in certain situations. Define a boundary within which your employees can make decisions. That way, the chances of making wrong decisions decreases.
You should give this decision-making power over tasks that can easily be reversed. That way, even if a wrong decision is made, you know that it can be undone to prevent any serious damage.
2. Don’t Keep Secrets
If you want your employees to trust you, you need to trust them too. That’s why it’s important for you to have an open discussion with your employees about what’s going on. This will help you keep them in the loop, no matter how good or bad the situation is.
You can do this by organizing weekly company-wide meetings in which you share everything about all your new undertakings, upcoming projects, latest acquisitions, or anything that you think your employees should know.
But this doesn’t have to be only about the happy and positive things. You should also let them know about the challenges and loopholes if you have any. For example, if you’re facing a financial crisis, let your employees know about it. Assure them that you’ll have their back even in the worst-case scenario. Doing this will not only boost trust but will also give them a sense of security.
3. Focus on Results
If you’re in the habit of measuring the amount of work an employee does on the basis of hours they spend at work, you should stop right now. Instead of doing that, it can be wiser to focus on results. For example, if an employee completes his/her tasks before 5 pm and wants to head home early, let them do that.
It’s not the number of hours that matters. What matters is whether the assigned task has been done in a timely manner. By offering them the flexibility to work on their own convenient schedule, you can help them have a better work-life balance. This is extremely important for your employees to feel empowered and have better job satisfaction.
4. Help Build Confidence
Not everyone is equally confident about themselves or their abilities. As a leader and employer, it’s your duty to boost their confidence and make them feel more comfortable about what they are doing.
You can do that by praising them for their accomplishments every once in a while. And when you do so, make sure you do it publicly for better results. You should also regularly announce an employee of the month to motivate your employees to keep up the good work. Check on your team to know if they are facing any problems or need help with their tasks. If they do, encourage them to join a skill development program or enroll in a course that helps them overcome the problem.
Your success depends a lot on your employees. So it’s important for you to take care of their physical and mental health. And the best way to do that is by boosting employee satisfaction. Empowering your employees can be one way of gaining that.