How Empowering Employees Leads to Workplace Growth

Katie Brenneman

A healthy, positive workplace can bolster your productivity and improve the ROI on all of your initiatives to improve wellness and well-being. 

However, creating this type of workplace culture can be tricky. 

Support your staff by investing in culture and mental health resources. Meaningful resources — like support systems and scheduling accommodations, among others — can empower employees who need help and will show staff that you’re serious about their personal health and career growth. 

Empowerment and Culture

The best workplace cultures empower employees and promote peer-to-peer support. This is great for the productivity of a business and can lead to long-term workspace growth. Healthy company culture can also improve the profitability of a business by:

  • Reducing Staff Turnover: folks who feel valued at work will hang around and seek internal promotions rather than jump ship when lucrative opportunities come their way. 
  • Increase Engagement: Staff who buy into the brand are far more likely to embrace your initiatives and give every project their all. 
  • Attract Talent: Everyone wants to join a workplace where they feel valued. If word gets around that your business has a supportive, people-first culture, you will likely find that more highly qualified candidates applying for openings. 

Prioritizing company culture can reduce human error and increase accountability at work, too. Folks who feel safe within their peer-to-peer support network are far more likely to come forward than employees who are afraid to own errors.

A supportive peer-to-peer network can help improve mental health in the workplace, too. By creating times to socialize, you give staff a chance to blow off steam and strengthen their bonds. Even small events, like cookie-baking competitions and happy hours on a Friday, can decrease social isolation and improve employee well-being. 

Employee Support Groups

The widespread decline of unions may leave some employees feeling like a small cog in a big wheel. As recent research demonstrates, being part of a collective voice can improve worker well-being and encourage fairer policies at work. 

If your employees aren’t part of a union, consider starting employee resource groups (ERG) at work. Ideally, these support groups should be assembled by the most trusted managers and staff. According to research conducted by McKinsey, an effective ERG program can improve inclusion in the workplace, too. Folks from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds are far more likely to join companies that have a clear commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. This can spark a profitable period of workplace growth as new insights and ideas will add real value to your firm. 

An employee support network is particularly important if you have recently hired younger workers at your business. Gen-Z’s approach to well-being at work is a little different than previous generations. Gen-Zers are socially conscious, open-minded, and entrepreneurial. However, without the right support, young employees can feel as though they are being taken advantage of. Offering employee assistance programs (EAPs) at work can go a long way toward supporting Gen-Zers, as well as employees of all age groups. 

Final Notes

Empowering your employees is the key to securing a positive work culture and long-term growth for your business. Employees that feel secure are far more likely to support one another and will come forward with issues without fear of reprisal. You can build a more compassionate culture at work by founding an Employee Resource Group in your workplace. This group will increase uptake in EAP initiatives and ensure that all employees know how to find the assistance they need. 

This blog was contributed directly to Workplace Fairness. Published with permission.

About the Author: Katie Brenneman  is a passionate writer specializing in lifestyle, mental health, and education When she isn’t writing, you can find her with her nose buried in a book or hiking with her dog, Charlie. To connect with Katie, you can follow her on Twitter.

The post How Empowering Employees Leads to Workplace Growth first appeared on Today’s Workplace.

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