How Does Empowerment Affect an Employee's Motivation & Performance?

A small-business owner possesses the ability to empower employees. Empowerment in the realm of human resources is the equipping and enabling of a worker to exercise judgment and initiative. Empowering employee helps to increase motivation and improve performance. It works on the psyche of humans to make an impact, so they produce at a high level, which benefits both themselves and your business.

An empowered employee becomes a confident employee. She gains experience in making tough decisions that prove to her she can handle any situation. This new confidence might compel her to work harder and at a higher level than before, when she did not have much authority. The more empowered the worker becomes, the more enabled she feels, which, in turn, allows her to explore ways to increase efficiency in her job.

Empowerment can give a sense of contentment to an employee. Knowing that management believes a worker can direct himself allows that person to relax. When you do not micromanage the staff member, his sense of peace in the workplace increases and that makes the job more enjoyable for him. According to Entrepreneur, an employee who has a supervisor constantly monitoring him will not take responsibility for his own work. He can never grow and will display only minimal effort. The happier an employee is the more likely he is to want to work and to perform at a high level.

When you empower employees to direct themselves, you let them know that you trust their abilities and decisions. The employees thus feel valued by you and by the company as a whole. This appreciation and respect translates to good work habits and the willingness to do above and beyond what is required. Empowered employees frequently strive to excel in areas, including customer service, which is essential to your company's profits.

A staff full of workers who are given the authority to self-direct their work will likely work better together. These employees will enjoy coming together as a team on projects in which they each know they can contribute their own ideas and skills. Give your employees the chance to brainstorm with one another, divide up project duties, and give feedback on each other's work to further develop a winning workforce. Quality Digest says that once an empowered team is in place, it will push for increased performance and solutions to problems before these issues have time to escalate.