One of the 12 employee expectation categories that research by the Human Insights Group at UKG identified is the need to create empowering environments at work. But what does that mean, and what practical steps create empowering environments?
At the most basic level, employees encounter circumstances and conditions at work that can either support/empower them or present obstacles and barriers that slow down processes (or prevent them altogether). As you probably guessed, these circumstances and conditions directly impact productivity and employee satisfaction and influence overall engagement.
Do your employees have to jump through hoops to get their jobs done?
Here is an example: while I enjoy the travel that comes with my job, I used to dread the unavoidable expense report that was required afterwards. The dread of my expense report process changed when my employer introduced an intuitive and automated expense-tracking software that made it a breeze. Another change that made a huge difference was a policy change that eliminated the need for any receipts under $70, which, if you think about it, is the majority of receipts. This minor change reduced the time I had previously spent on this non-value add task by several hours per month.
In addition, the policy change also felt more aligned with a people-centric organization, one that trusts its employees to be responsible and look out for the organization's best interests. (It also presents an excellent example of the Law of Reciprocity in a work setting, but that is an entirely separate article I will write at some point.)
Is digital friction a problem in your organization?
I don't use expense management software more than a few times a month, and this small change still makes a meaningful difference in my experiences at work. Imagine the positive impact of removing digital friction around software applications that your employees use daily! The potential time saved on tasks and processes is tremendous. As is the underlying message you send to your employees by making their work more accessible and more enjoyable.
On the opposite side of the coin, consider how your smartphone-savvy employees, who can buy anything with the ease of one-click shopping, must feel if they must go through 10 screens and seek three levels of approvals to order office supplies. Intuitive applications and easy-to-use programs that offer a great user experience are the norms outside of work. Employees are likelier to quit if businesses don't invest in new technologies that make work easier. According to a study by The Workforce Institute, nearly half (46%) of employees surveyed stated that they have considered leaving their jobs due to frustration with their organization's technology. Additionally, 37% of employees said they would be willing to take a pay cut to work at an organization with better technology. These findings suggest that digital friction can significantly impact employee retention and that organizations that invest in improving their technology infrastructure and user experience may have a competitive advantage in attracting and retaining top talent.
What other areas should be considered?
Physical and mental safety
An empowering environment provides physical and mental safety, highlighting the importance of belonging and inclusion, which we address more specifically in the expectation category "Embracing Intentional DBI&E.”
Predictability
Many circumstances are out of the employer's and employee’s control. Still, aspects of predictability can be significantly enhanced with the right tools and a commitment to transparent communication.
While predictability is not all about technology, the benefits that technology can provide are substantial and can go a long way in your employees' perception. One area that makes a huge difference in your employee's work schedule and the ease and timeliness with which changes can be requested and approved. Just imagine how frustrating it is to constantly receive last-minute call-ins and unexpected changes to the work schedule.
Digital collaboration
With the experience of the last few years, detailed examples are not needed, but let me stress that it isn't just the hardware that enables digital collaboration. Working in isolation creates silos that prevent effective collaboration and negatively impact company performance. Culture plays an equally important role. Do your employees feel comfortable "ping" somebody in their organization to ask a question on a quick video chat?
A virtual water cooler on steroids
Has your organization created a virtual water cooler that enables employees across the company to connect randomly? Zoom has the functionality to generate up to 50 breakout rooms on a single call. Companies set up short 10 min Zoom calls with a specific cadence for predefined groups of employees. Individuals can join as they have time, or your company could set an expectation that employees participate in x number of calls each quarter. Once participants are on the call, the facilitator breaks out all participants into random groups of two and gives the employees 10 minutes to get to know each other (five minutes each). The idea is for individuals to expand their network of colleagues and gain insights into other areas of the organization – not too dissimilar to what used to happen at the water cooler or the break room, but more purpose-driven as these Zoom calls can be set up for specific business reasons.
One Zoom group might be for people managers within a department supporting a specific program. Another group might target employees from two or three different departments to encourage connections and collaboration between functions that feed into each other or depend on each other. Again, the design options for these cohorts of employees are almost unlimited.
These virtual opportunities to connect create new networks of like-minded individuals at work and can serve as an organically expanding approach to solving problems and promoting innovation.
An empowering environment is more than just a nice one in today's employment landscape. It helps employees spend less time on non-value add tasks, removes digital friction, helps with predictability, can even offset some of the downsides associated with working virtually for an extended period of time, and states in no uncertain terms, "We care about our employees".