Boost accountability and satisfaction by letting them lead
Many employees seek challenges and new opportunities to keep them stimulated and excited to work.
Therefore, if your team is stagnating or feeling restless, then it is likely that your employees are at risk of leaving.
In fact, a US survey found that 72% of employees wish that their managers would give them more responsibilities.
A change in responsibility or job role can be both refreshing and motivating for a team. Not only will it capture imaginations and inspire your staff, delegating responsibilities will allow them to grow within your business.
Here are several ways in which you can give your employees more responsibilities.
Start with smaller tasks
Before handing out heavy and time-consuming responsibilities, start with the smaller things. Perhaps there’s an employee who has shown interest in ordering office supplies, or another who would like to assist with managing holiday requests.
By starting small, you can ensure that your employees can both physically and mentally undertake extra tasks without diminishing the quality of their current workload. A few small extra tasks might be all an employee needs to keep them stimulated at work.
Encourage employees to solve their own problems
If an employee approaches you with an issue, it is important to listen, but try to refrain from giving all the answers or taking over completely. Ask probing questions that will lead them to the right answer.
This will encourage your employees to problem solve without you in the future and will also encourage them to take full ownership of their responsibilities. Such empowerment doesn’t mean that you are abandoning your employees, it simply demonstrates that you trust their judgement.
Work with employees to build a clear vision
If a company invests in employees’ careers, 94% of employees said that they would stay at the company longer. Nurturing your employees to grow both personally and professionally is therefore essential if you wish to keep them within your business.
By simply speaking with your employees, asking what their visions are, or where they want to be in five years’ time will align your paths. You can then delegate specific responsibilities to certain employees in order to help them work towards their goals.
Don’t just delegate work, delegate authority too
As leadership skills require plenty of practice to develop over time, it is important to also delegate authority to your staff. Aim to give employees leadership in some of the meetings they attend or allow them to take full ownership of a project from start to finish.
This will enable them to see the business through a managerial perspective as they slowly practice their authority and naturally take on more responsibilities.
Mix up the team’s responsibilities
If a few of your employees have been tackling the same tasks for a number of years, perhaps it’s time to have a mix up. Switching responsibilities can breathe new life into a team that’s otherwise stagnating.
Not only will mixing up tasks encourage motivation and stimulation amongst employees, it will also help foster team work as employees begin to train one another.
Additional benefits will be boosted morale and a team who can cover each other’s responsibilities in times of sickness or annual leave—a more efficient way of working that benefits everyone.
Lead by example
It is important to remember that you are in a position of leadership, and your employees will follow your example.
Therefore, before taking lots of time trying to encourage your employees to take on more responsibilities, why not take on some extra tasks yourself? Many employees will see your extra work as something to live up to.
Additionally, many will also see your extra responsibilities as an opportunity to help. Don’t be afraid to ask team members to collaborate on tasks with you—chances are, it will give them a taste for it and leave them wanting more.
Naturally move your business forward
Tackling the world of extra responsibilities is not something that happens overnight, nor is it something that you can force your employees to do. Yet, by following these steps, your employees will begin to accumulate more tasks—however big or small—and gain confidence in their abilities.
As a result, more employees will follow suit and your company will embody a culture of teamwork, respect, and leadership. In turn, each role will be meaningful, employee pride and responsibility will grow, and your business will naturally move forward.