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 There has been a lot of attention paid in the last few years to the concept of empowerment. Far from being just one more office buzzword or piece of industry jargon, the term empowerment has a real place in today's corporate office and if you are in management capacity, you need to be aware of what it is and what you can do to promote it!
Essentially, empowerment results when the company grants its employees agency, the ability make decisions and put them into practice. Far from resulting chaos, as detractors feared, this concept led to a work place that was a great deal more autonomy and cooperation. It is important, though, that empowerment be encouraged to grow, and it also needs to be facilitated by people who are in charge. Without support and recognition, empowerment dies out with surprising speed.
The first thing you need to do is to let your employees know that empowerment is approved of and rewarded. Don't rely on a quick talk getting this point across. Constantly find examples of your employees showing empowerment and creating good results, and grant them corporate rewards. This can be simple, like a gift certificate or more elaborate, like a small plaque. You'll find that simply by having an employee recognition award that you'll be setting a great precedent when it comes to telling your employees what you want.
One important step when it comes to empowerment is to not only lead by example to but to set definitions. While many employees will groan about performance reviews, they are actually very handy. Tell them what they have done right, why it was right, and you'll find that they are more apt to do it again. Performance reviews are a great time to give out corporate awards, and this helps make the employees less stressed about the next time.
During the performance reviews, make sure that they understand that though you are reviewing them, it should be a dialogue. Ask them where they want their career to take them, and if they think that direction lies with the company. Where would they like to be and what job do they want to do? This is a great time to discuss how they can reach that goal, and where they are when it comes to achieving this. When you let them know that not only is there a chance they can achieve their goals, but that you might be able to provide them with skills and training to do so, you will a great deal of motivation come into play.
Remember that while corporate awards and employee recognition awards are nice, don't forget to show your appreciation in real and vital ways as well. Salaries are something that you might not control at all, but if you see someone put forth a lot of effort, it is worth seeing if bonuses are possible. Do what you can in your power to reward them and they will repay you for it.
Empowerment can be a force for great good in your company, but it cannot grow in a vacuum. Do your part to foster it, and you will find yourself with more resources at your disposal than every before! Employee recognition rewards are a great source for empowerent.
Leah Fairman, president of CorporateSNOBS.com, has been a corporate gifting consultant for many years. It has been proven that work environments are more cooperative when employees are granted empowerment. So, give your company a corporate gift this year by listening to your employees and utilizing their input.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leah_Lee
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