As the popularity of remote work is growing, the challenge to keep employees productive while empowering them is real. A distributed workforce is the future for companies and learning to adapt to this work culture shift is important. When your employees are working remotely, it can be difficult to keep them engaged and feel inclusive. As a manager, the onus is on you to develop trust among the employees and inspire them to take responsibility to be more productive.

How do you achieve that?

Through employee autonomy and empowerment.

In simple words, this refers to the philosophy of encouraging employees to make decisions independently on their own and to take accountability of their tasks. As a manager, your role is to support this decision-making and make employees feel more confident about themselves. As employees work remotely, you cannot micromanage them. You have to let them have autonomy and flexibility.

Here are some important tips for empowering your staff for business success.

Start by demonstrating trust

Unless you make your employees feel important and valued, they will not be able to make independent decisions. To achieve this, you will have to gain their loyalty by showing your trust. Instead of explaining the means, introduce your employees to the end goals and let them take their path. This approach might not achieve everything that you want, but the employees will feel empowered due to increased autonomy and flexibility.

Establish clear communication

As a leader, it is your responsibility to bring transparency to the communication between the distributed workforce. You must bring everyone on the same page, as a communication gap will create confusion and the employees will remain in the dark about what they are supposed to do. Another important factor in empowering your employees is to clearly define the company vision to the staff. Finally, clearly define the tasks and duties that they can work on independently.

Avoid small talk – build a connection

As the distributed workplace environment further reduces the chances of one-on-one conversations, small talk doesn’t cut it anymore. It is important to remain engaged and connected with your employees and have deeper, quality conversations. To instill a sense of empowerment in your employees you must know them on a personal level. Have more personalized conversations such as accomplishments and complaints they might have, ask about their work progress and what’s going on with their families. This not only encourages your employees to feel more engaged but also helps you to grow as a leader.

Make way for self-improvement

When employees learn new skills, they feel more empowered and it helps improve the company as a whole. This is why continued upskilling and reskilling programs are important;  it empowers employees to take on new challenges at work. It also enhances their personal growth which is important for their empowerment. Companies that have resources make tools and ways available for employees to take courses to learn new skills. If you do not have such resources, you can allow flexibility in your work schedule such that they can pursue upskilling programs. You will be surprised how constructive such support can be for your employees’ well-being and work ethic.

Delegate responsibility not just work

As a leader, you can easily impart empowerment to the employees almost immediately by delegating not just the work but asking them to take more responsibility such as handling an important meeting or pitching a product you all have been working on. The best way to let them feel important and motivated about their work is to let them work on projects that people and customers notice. This will make them realize that they have a real effect not just on business but on other people as well.

Employee empowerment can help companies not only grow but take on challenges with a distinct zeal. When you make them feel empowered you have better chances of retaining them, sparking job satisfaction, improving customer service, and driving individual growth.

At Talent500, we are empowering companies by helping them build and manage global teams. To know more, request a consultation.