Independence can be a scary word for an employer. Employers may think that independence means that you must give up control. This can cause discomfort because employers are placing the company’s growth in someone else’s hands. Although letting go can be a daunting task, this can really help your business. Independence can be a great asset to your company, bringing creativity and revenue. When you give your employees the freedom and ability to do things in their own way, they will grow creatively and will feel the empowerment they need to move forward. Here’s how you can give employees independence without losing control of your business:
Independence starts with empowerment. Empowerment is an essential component in the workplace that is often ignored. It encourages trust, flexible thinking, and self-improvement. When your employees can make their own decisions with their own judgement, you are letting them know that you trust them to handle things. You are also allowing them to take a creative approach that they would not have taken otherwise. Empowered employees question things and look at everything in their jobs with different perspective. You can even manage your employees while giving them a sense of independence and empowerment.
Tips to Give Independence
Create a culture
You need to create a culture where employees feel empowered and appreciated. In other words, give them freedom and the choice to think freely. Create an environment where you can openly communicate with your employees. When you can openly communicate, you will be able to discuss new concepts, keep employees informed, and make them feel as though they can share their thoughts. You may find that letting employees challenge opinions and practices gives you new perspective.
Set Expectations
If you give your employees a clear indication of what you expect, they will be more comfortable in their roles and perform well. If your employees don’t have direction, how could they possibly accomplish goals? Employees want to achieve big wins for their employers, which means that they need to know what’s expected. Achievements not only help the company, but they help the employee understand and appreciate the value of achievements as well. You need to clearly explain to your employees what you need them to achieve so you and the employee have the same set of goals.
Stop Micromanaging
Most employees don’t appreciate micromanagement . It makes the employee feel as though they aren’t trusted doing things on their own, and it takes away their chance to think freely. A recent accountemps survey revealed 68 percent of employees said that micromanagement decreases morale. Another recent study showed that 28% of employees who are micromanaged are currently looking elsewhere for work. There are certain times that micromanagement makes sense, like when you hire a new employee that needs to be trained, or someone takes on a new position within the company. However, there are times you should avoid micromanagement. Veteran employees, for example, should be able to get things done without someone looking over their shoulders. Managers should be comfortable letting go in order to give employees independence they need to succeed.
Provide tools to reach goals
Your employees will not be able to achieve anything unless you give them proper tools and resources. First, you can start with training. Training can help employees understand the ins and outs of the workplace. This can also help the employee understand what the goals and intentions of the position are. Additionally, you can let the employee go to conferences, attend webinars, or complete external training classes so they can learn and add to their skill set. If a laptop or special software is necessary for a job, it may be worth the investment to ensure that they employee has the tools to complete tasks. Prepare your employees so that they can perform to the best of their ability.
Encourage Responsibility
One the most important things you can do for new hires or team members is to let them know that you expect them to take personal responsibility for their work. When employees feel as though they own their work, they will respect the work they do and want to do it well.
How to keep control
Although the tips above helps give employees independence, following them does not mean that you are giving up control. You still have to let your employees know what to do, give them resources, and ensure they are completing objectives. The substantive difference is that you are giving your employees a voice in return for what will hopefully result in a better product and higher morale. All of this effort should pay off by giving you more time to focus on other things while employees are executing their objectives on your behalf.
A great way to ensure that your employees are on task is by investing in a system that will keep track of their work. Having accurate data in regards to time worked on projects will help you understand what your employees are doing without micro-managing their time, and can give you an indication as to what needs to be worked on more.
Let Timesheets.com help you keep track of your employee’s time today!
