What are the Benefits of Empowering and Engaging your Employees?

Have you ever taken a canoe into a steam or river?    What does it feel like when you turn the canoe upstream and fight the current? Is it a struggle?  Do you get anywhere?  Do you have to work hard and does it feel exhausting?     If so, this is a little like leading a team of dis-empowered employees.

In contrast, now imagine taking that same canoe and flowing downstream.   How does that feel?  Easier?  Are you now flowing in the right direction now and doesn’t it just feel so much smoother?  Now imagine the momentum of the stream building up speed effortlessly.    This is how leading a team of empowered employees can feel.

There are many benefits of empowering your team, both for the Management team and the employees.    One of the main benefits is that it simply just feels better.  And when it feels better, people feel happier.  And when people feel happier, they are more efficient, creative and productive.  They are also more likely to perform as a high performing team and work together to create operational excellence.

Of course, there are many other benefits but for me, a workforce which is tuned in, tapped in and feeling good is key.  Seriously, it is not as difficult as you think.

Other benefits include:

1. Reduction in staff turnover and Absenteeism - Lets get honest here, staff who enjoy their job and feel valued, experience less boredom which in turn leads to less absenteeism and smaller staff turnover figures.
2. Productivity- Happier staff are more creative and more likely to come up with new ideas and concepts.
3. Improved relationships – Empowerment improves manager and staff relationships which leads to less complaints and grievances.
4. Profit and Reputation – Organisations who have invested in empowerment are more productive, retain more customers and are more profitable.   In addition, they are more likely to profit during economic pressures due to staff overall involvement.

Would you like to find out more about how you can empower your staff?  Lisa Phillips is a confidence and empowerment expert based in Australia.   She works with small and large organisations and in 2014 was awarded the Bronze Stevie Award for Women helping Women.  

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Photo credit: http://www.hrotoday.com/news/engaged-workforce/empower-and-equip-employees/