What is employee empowerment?

Glossary/E/Employee Empowerment

Employee empowerment is the act of giving employees a fair amount of autonomy, in terms of business decision-making as well as their everyday tasks. Employee empowerment ensures employees make use of their full potential and gives them the freedom to solve work-related problems in their own way.

Organizations that intend to empower their employees must provide them with resources for reliable decision-making and eventually empower them enough to maximize their productivity at work and ensure better returns.

Not to be confused with:

Employee Recognition

Employee recognition is to do with acknowledging an employee's behaviour, performance, effort, and accomplishment of business goals.

Employee Involvement

Employee involvement is all about recognizing the uniqueness of every employee and letting them be involved actively in the growth trajectory of an organization.

Not to be confused with:

Employee Recognition

Employee recognition is to do with acknowledging an employee's behaviour, performance, effort, and accomplishment of business goals.

Employee Involvement

Employee involvement is all about recognizing the uniqueness of every employee and letting them be involved actively in the growth trajectory of an organization.

Employee Recognition

Employee recognition is to do with acknowledging an employee's behaviour, performance, effort, and accomplishment of business goals.

Employee Involvement

Employee involvement is all about recognizing the uniqueness of every employee and letting them be involved actively in the growth trajectory of an organization.

Employee Recognition

Employee recognition is to do with acknowledging an employee's behaviour, performance, effort, and accomplishment of business goals.

Employee Involvement

Employee involvement is all about recognizing the uniqueness of every employee and letting them be involved actively in the growth trajectory of an organization.

Employee recognition is to do with acknowledging an employee's behaviour, performance, effort, and accomplishment of business goals. In comparison, employee empowerment is the act of bestowing employees with decision-making powers at the workplace. Employee recognition does not automatically translate to employee empowerment.

Employee involvement is all about recognizing the uniqueness of every employee and letting them be involved actively in the growth trajectory of an organization. It allows employees to share their ideas, efforts, and expertise for the benefit of the business. While employee involvement can help employees feel like their ideas matter to the business, it does not necessarily empower them or grant them any degree of autonomy.

Why does employee empowerment matter?

Employee empowerment can reinforce an employee’s trust in the leadership and improve overall retention rates. Here is how employee empowerment results in a better bottom line.

Motivation

Employees who enjoy considerable control over their work, timelines, and related decisions often show higher levels of engagement with the organization. When given a chance to prove their mettle, they feel motivated to execute their responsibilities to the best of their potential.

Good Leadership

A good leader delegates well. In an organization that prioritizes employee empowerment, it is common for managers and business heads to take the role of a coach and mentor their employees to bring out their best.

Creative Push

When employees are given a degree of autonomy at work, they can experiment and generate new ideas that add up to ensure better outcomes. Autonomy is especially essential in creative roles, but when given to all roles it can increase productivity across the organization.