Managing human resources isn’t always about following the rulebook. It has a lot to do with managing expectations, and offering people what they really need, so as to get the best of them. The whole idea of motivation may not work for everyone, but empowerment definitely does. In this post, we are discussing all that you need to know about empowering employees in the workplace.
Set better roles and boundaries
There is a specific scope for every role – agreed, but management needs to find a balance as how authority and power is delegated. As a manager, you have to understand that you cannot manage everything at your end, and the more you allow the freedom to your people to take decisions, the more you can expect results. Of course, this also involves a considerable amount of risk, but done with basic understanding of an employee’s capabilities, this usually works.
Be open to ideas
One of the better ways to empower your employees is to encourage them to share their ideas and comments. Gone are times when being a boss would get things done. The new-generation working class does value things like job satisfaction, and ability to take decisions, and managers need to feed that side of the personality. Allow the scope, so that your people can come up to you.
Listen, forgive and offer your feedback
Being a good listener is one of the main traits of a good manager. You need to be a patient listener, sometimes for problems that may seem repetitive. It is also necessary to forgive your employees, unless there are serious consequences. Team building and working with an extended group of people need specialized focus, and while you want to give constructive criticism and feedback on relevant aspects, you don’t want people to feel subdued.
Recognition
Eventually, this is one thing that always empowers and pushes employees to do better. Reward and appreciate the team for the good work they have done, and don’t ignore the effort put in by each team member. Healthy competition at the workplace is always welcome, but you don’t want to push employees against each other.
If required, spend more resources on team building. There are companies that can come handy in aligning your human resources, and when you are not sure of how to build a team of workhorses, consider taking help from services that have experience in leadership programs.
