Your staff is what truly sets your company apart from the competition, especially if you invest the time and resources in empowering employees to reach their highest potential. Building employee empowerment creates a team where every member is committed to the success of the company, and has the tools to play a crucial role in bringing this vision to life. Empowerment training teaches employees how to make decisions on their own, without always requiring the assistance of a superior.

Workplace empowerment not only encourages your employees to achieve, it also helps your organization thrive. Benefits of employee empowerment include:

1. A workplace atmosphere that fosters cooperation and interaction
2. More motivated, better educated employees
3. Greater efficiency and effectiveness, by empowering workers to set higher goals
4. Improved employee morale
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Determine if the process is right for your company by researching empowerment information

Before you decide to shift to an employee empowerment model, find out what it involves, how it's worked for other companies, and how it might benefit your organization. Many human resources and management publications and Web sites include information about empowerment in the workplace, in addition to case studies from organizations that have implemented their own programs.

I recommend: Learn the basics of employee empowerment at HR.com. At Melcrum, download a free executive summary of its Employee Engagement report, with case study extracts and tips for building an engaged workforce. Find employee empowerment case studies and books at ISBNdb.com.

Foster employee empowerment through personal and professional training and development

Business empowerment for your staff hinges on employees knowing how to make sound decisions with little or no supervision. By providing training to help them strengthen their critical thinking, strategic planning and decision-making skills, for example, you ensure they can act in the best interest of the company.

I recommend: Help employees refine their communications, personal effectiveness and leadership skills with training videos from Employee University. MindLeaders offers employee development e-Learning solutions for corporations, small businesses, government agencies and academic institutions. Download the company's free report, "Why Employee Development Matters--Creating Strategic Advantage Through Your People."

Provide empowerment training to company leadership as well as to staff

Empowerment in business requires that senior management trusts employees' judgment, and is comfortable delegating authority to them. Help them hone their management skills with leadership training, in addition to asking them to participate in the same empowerment training as the rest of the staff.

I recommend: The Training Registry lists employee empowerment training programs across the country, in addition to management and leadership training programs. Or, find empowerment training and management/leadership training programs at the Training Network.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  A key part of empowerment in a business is simply informing employees of what's happening within the company, and how that affects their jobs. Use regular newsletters, emails and departmental or organization-wide discussions to keep employees up-to-date.
• •  If you want to empower employees, give them a way to participate in the organization's operation by establishing an ongoing empowerment program. Even something as simple as a suggestion box makes them feel valued, and can help start the process of applying empowerment theory on a company-wide basis.