Every year on July 4th, we celebrate our country’s independence from colonial rule. While an employee working for an organization is of course a vastly different experience, the idea of independence is still very relevant in today's workplace.
The vast majority of employees start a job with enthusiasm; they want the ability and the freedom to do their best work, yet one of the complaints employees often express is that of micromanagement, which can dampen their enthusiasm. Employees don’t want a manager hovering over everything they do; they want to feel empowered to solve problems on their own, make decisions, contribute meaningful ideas, and, overall, feel trusted to do the work they were hired to do. In other words, they want agency, which is a very important aspect of the employee experience and one of the most overlooked drivers of organizational performance.
Independence Drives Engagement
When employees have the autonomy to determine how they accomplish their work, they are more likely to be engaged, innovative, and resilient. Rather than just completing tasks, they take ownership of outcomes.
Yet if employees are regularly required to get approval for even minor decisions, aren’t encouraged to explore new ideas, or have little influence in how or when they work, they are going to be much less motivated. Employees want to feel valued and trusted; they need to know that their input matters.
Trust and Independence Go Hand in Hand
We often talk about the importance of trust when it comes to how employees feel about leadership, but the reverse is just as important. Leadership needs to trust employees’ intentions. All our research shows that most employees want to do a good job; leadership needs to give them both the independence and trust to do just that.
Want to empower your employees to independently do their best work? Clearly explain organizational goals, standards, and expectations. Provide strong manager training so that managers are supportive without micromanaging and can help their direct reports establish clear goals or troubleshoot when needed. Provide employees with the resources they need to succeed and then trust them to exercise good judgment.
Employees who feel trusted are more likely to trust leadership in return, which ultimately creates a beneficial relationship for all that strengthens the organization in the long term.
Measuring Employee Independence Through Surveys
Employee surveys are a powerful tool to understand whether your intentions are actually resulting in the culture you want. Many surveys already ask about factors that impact an employee’s sense of independence, such as items focused on decision-making, innovation, manager support, or communication.
Here are some items you might want to add to an employee survey:
By asking the right questions, and, most importantly, taking action where needed, organizations thoughtfully create a culture where employees have the agency to do their best work. Analyzing survey data across your organization can help you identify teams where employees may be lacking agency and which might need some extra support.
Organizations that use employee feedback to strengthen agency help create a workplace culture that is more innovative and better equipped to thrive.
Schedule a call with the OrgVitality team to explore our listening technology and see firsthand how we help companies transform employee feedback into a culture of impact.