Are Your Employees Engaged or Empowered?

Most business owners know that the employees are key to a company’s success. As a matter of fact, they are the most important asset in your business! Staffing at all levels must be actively engaged in the company and stand by the services it provides to clients, as well as empowered to get things done and stay committed to the tasks at hand.

So, are your employees Engaged or Empowered?

Kevin Kruse writes, “Employee engagement is the emotional commitment the employee has to the organization and its goals.” Engaged employees care more about their work, make stronger efforts at their job, respond better to colleagues and clients, and in general perform with greater productivity. (See http://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2012/06/22/employee-engagement-what-and-why/)

Engaged employees care. They are enthusiastic, connected, and show optimism for the company’s future. They believe strongly that they can make a positive impact on the success of the company, and they will work hard to see that success become a reality. Engaged employees are very important. Their positivity and loyalty can be infectious, encouraging the entire organization to work hard for each other.

Employee empowerment is giving employees a certain degree of autonomy and responsibility for decision-making regarding their specific organizational tasks. Empowered employees have unique views of issues and problems facing the organization, and they are entitled to respond in kind. (See http://study.com/academy/lesson/employee-empowerment-definition-advantages-disadvantages.html)

Empowered employees are trusted with making very real decisions that can positively impact productivity and client satisfaction. They can free up supervisors and managers to attend to other mission-critical responsibilities and in turn, they also feel more satisfied and productive in their own roles.

There are several action steps that must be taken to build a company of Engaged AND Empowered employees:

1. Provide adequate training to equip employees with the knowledge and awareness to make effective, accurate, timely decisions;
2. Establish open and honest lines of communication so employees can speak to managers without fear of reprisal;
3. Provide ongoing, consistent feedback to all employees and managers so all staff from better understand what is expected within their role;
4. Keep employees “in the loop”—about company goals, forecasts, and changes— so they can see “the big picture”;
5. Have confidence in other people’s decision-making and trust their competencies. Engaged and Empowered employees feel their skills are utilized and appreciated.

Beginning early in this New Year, look to build Engaged and Empowered employees that will help your company succeed over the long term.

“As we look into the next century, leaders will be those that empower others.”

Bill Gates opening the Gates Foundation Library, Oregon, 1997