Autonomy creates more engagement!

Written by Bart | Mar 5, 2024 9:15:41 AM

In this day and age with many crises happen simultaneously, we are asking a lot of our employees. People in vital professions are extra busy; others are sitting at home, with but sometimes temporarily out of work. In all cases, things go better if you give employees more autonomy to organize and perform their work. But, research shows we're not very good at that yet.

Research performed by Effectory shows that 52% of employees experience too little autonomy at work. They feel they have too little freedom to make their own choices in terms of planning and the work they perform. Autonomy in the workplace, however, comes from both sides, which is why in this article we'll take a closer look at how to give your employees more freedom.

Willingness is the code word

For autonomy, you need willingness from both sides: from your employees to want to work independently, but your organisation must also be willing to give employees this freedom. To achieve more autonomy in your company together, you need to have the same vision related to autonomy. It is good to be honest about this, as everyone would like to do their best work.

Freedom as a driver for engagement

The same Effectory survey showed that 54% of men and 66% of women experience little to no autonomy while at work. Thus, more than half of employees feel no freedom during their work, while it is precisely this freedom that provides flexibility and responsibility. Freedom is important to get employees more involved in the company; in companies that operate more autonomously, 79% of staff are involved. As a result of that involvement, they perform better and take responsibility more often.

Even though it can be a time-consuming process, having more autonomy gives you happier, more engaged employees, and this in turn creates for better work results. Giving employees more freedom allows them to showcase their talents more. As Steve Jobs said: "It's weird that we hire the best people and then tell them what to do. Smart staff are actually supposed to tell us what to do".

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