Exploring the manifold benefits of employee empowerment

“Employee empowerment” is a broad term that can be used to describe the ways in which organizations foster a culture of ownership and accountability among workers. Empowered employees have input into their specific job responsibilities, as well as how the companies they work for are run as a whole, which facilitates continuous improvement.

“Empowered employees are committed, loyal and conscientious,” writes Leigh Richards for the Houston Chronicle. “They are eager to share ideas and can serve as strong ambassadors for their organizations.”

Workers already have ideas – why not take advantage of them?

Regardless of whether companies actively encourage suggestions, chances are their employees have ideas about how to streamline processes, provide a higher level of customer service and deliver better-quality products and services. However, organizations that don't adequately solicit feedback may miss out on these benefits.

A crucial part of employee empowerment involves making workers feel confident enough to share their ideas and challenge the current status quo. After all, falling back on an outdated or inefficient process simply because it's always the way things have been done acts as a roadblock to process improvement.

“Sometimes it takes an employee stepping outside of their authority to show the benefits of employee empowerment [to] an owner,” said John Zink of the PHCC Educational Foundation, as quoted by the news source.

Additionally, employees at the ground level of a company whose jobs require them to be in the thick of the organization's daily workings are positioned to offer insights into waste, inefficiency and other shortcomings that may not be immediately apparent to those who spend more time in the boardroom than out on the shop floor.

Company president credits employee empowerment for accolade

Earlier this year, the president of Utica, New York-based Northland Communications credited the company's culture of employee empowerment for its place on the Best Companies to Work for in New York program's top 50 list. More than one-quarter of the company's 100-strong workforce hold Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification, indicating that they underwent Lean training to enhance their problem-solving skills and conceive innovative improvement initiatives.

“We are proactive in empowering them to be successful in their positions,” said Northland's president, Jim McCarthy, in a statement. “We are clear and unified in our mission and our goals, which has created a sense of camaraderie in our workplace.”