If you haven’t already on your business journey, you should sit down to ask yourself What is empowerment? Using this term when it comes to handling your company can help to inspire more business.
You will also have happier employees and customers and to see more revenue coming in.
What Is Empowerment?
Chances are that you have felt empowered to do something at some point in your life even if it was unrelated to work. When you feel empowered, you feel as though you have the strength and confidence to take on whatever task is set before you.
For example, if you want to run a marathon, increasing your speed and endurance can make you feel empowered when you start the race.
What Is Empowerment in the Business World?
When it comes to your company, you can help employees to feel empowered. Some of them may think they lack the necessary credentials to accomplish this personal business goals. However, you can inspire them to think otherwise.
You can use empowerment techniques with your customers. This way, you show them that your products are simple to use and within their budgets.
What Is Empowerment in Practical Terms? 7 Ways to Use It
Knowing the theory behind empowerment is useful. But that’s not all that it takes to start putting this concept into play.
Understanding real techniques that you can use to empower your employees and customers may help you to see significantly more money coming into your company soon. You can also see the people at your workplace in a much happier state.
1. Pay Employees Fairly
While empowerment is certainly not all about money, you do have to remember that you are considering a place of work. Many of your employees probably put a tremendous amount of effort into their jobs. Also, most of them are in need of that pay to help maintain their homes, feed their families and so forth.
When workers do not feel as though they are paid fairly, they lose the motivation to go the extra effort. Making sure that pay is commensurate with experience and expertise is important. Cost-of-living raises are useful, but they are likely not enough for your top employees.
2. Offer Vacation and Health Benefits
Employees can also feel undervalued when they do not have sick days or health insurance through their jobs. Providing a package that offers health benefits, sick days, vacation days and personal days lets workers know that they are valued. When people feel valued, they are often motivated to work more.
Also, consider what happens when employees do not get paid for sick days. They come into work and quite possibly spread the disease around the office. Then, you are left with a company filled with ill employees who are not performing at their optimal level and who are possibly looking for other jobs.
3. Offer Promotions
If employees feel as though they never have the opportunity to move up in the business, then they may stop putting in their best efforts. In other words, if they can never get higher than they are now, they may wonder why they are bothering.
Of course, you don’t want to just throw away promotions at every turn because then they start to lose their meaning. Depending upon the type of company you run, you may have a level of steps that clearly indicate at what point and for what level of work employees receive promotions.
4. Create Clear Rules
Employees tend to like praise, and they tend to fear negative feedback. While both praise and constructive criticism are important for a business to run, you can’t expect employees to read your mind and to know what you want. Part of training should involve reading the employee handbook.
This handbook should include information about what is considered appropriate and inappropriate in the workplace. For example, if using cell phones during the work day is strictly forbidden, the handbook should state that. Times are changing, and that is not common knowledge to all workers in all fields.
5. Reward Return Customers
Now that you have an answer to your question of what is empowerment in terms of employees, you should also examine ways to empower customers. Having people come into the store or shop online is important, but you also want them to return.
Creating opportunities for return customers to get discounts or to obtain points on a credit card or a rewards card is a good idea. In the future, when they are deciding whether to try a new store or to come back to yours, they can feel empowered to opt for the latter decision.
6. Increase Customer Service
Think about what makes you feel empowered. A rude person probably makes you want to turn away from the situation whereas a friendly individual can encourage you to continue in the same spot.
Plenty of customers will avoid going into a business where they feel as though they are not treated with respect. From the customer-service department in the store to the customer service that is offered online, each area of this important field should receive a makeover.
7. Set Reasonable Prices
As you are learning the answer to what is empowerment, you are probably seeing that it has a great deal to do with boosting morale and making people feel good. If potential buyers see that your prices are above their range, then they may feel discouraged. They may feel discouraged at their larger financial situation too.
While you still need to make a profit, you should really examine the people who make up the target audience. Make sure that you are certain that the prices on your products and services are reasonable for them.
Powering Up
Empowerment is so important in the business world, and these techniques can help you to increase it. Once you start to employ these methods, you may see that your employees are happier. Also, more customers are coming into your store on a regular basis.
Have you noticed any changes in your company regarding empowerment of employees? Share your story with us!
Images: depositphotos.com.