Empowerment for Employee and Organizational Success: Treating Employees as Adults

When leaders don't treat their employees as competent, independent adults, they create some of the most significant barriers to an organization's success. Workers are adults with responsibilities and obligations. It seems obvious, but so many people are treated like children at work: too much oversight, micromanagement, and employer reactions that hinder rather than enhance performance, especially when it comes to traditional discipline as the “go-to” default for performance/behavior problems. 

Tired of applying the same types of discipline and still getting the same old mediocre or short-lived results? Or maybe it was a “righteous” discipline, but it still was overturned or mitigated by a hearing officer or arbitrator. If so, you might be ready to broaden your horizons and consider how treating employees like adults not only avoid these issues but empower employees to act like adults which can also result in positive changes to not only their conduct and performance but to your bottom line as well.

Disciplining an employee is the start of what can be a long, costly, and relationship-damaging process with the potential to have that discipline reversed or lessened even if your facts are correct and you followed your process to the letter. Additionally, discipline does not always have a long-term, or sometimes even a short-term effect. So, the question is what is the purpose of discipline in your organization? Is it punishment? Or is it for behavioral change? 

Would you like to stop the “shame and blame games” and perceptions of victimization resulting from discipline? If the answers are “yes” then this webinar is for you! 

By learning and using the techniques discussed in this webinar you will be able to empower employees in the best interests of their own future as well as for the organization. Additionally, should you have no other choice but to proceed with discipline these methods can help you to make a good case even better.

Is traditional discipline always the best choice? Does it always provide the best result? How productive is it for parties to expend resources in the grievance/appeals process or before a federal/state/local board or commission to make its case? And even if the facts are clearly on your side the discipline might still be mitigated or even reversed!

Alternatively, are there better options, and if so, what are they and how do they work? The answer is “yes” There are options and when used properly they can promote and enhance the empowerment of all parties. Can such options serve to de-escalate grievance/appeals procedures? Again, the answer is “yes” and this webinar will introduce several alternative approaches designed to evolve your disciplinary process from punishment into empowerment and accountability.

• Realizing empowerment is a more useful/productive tool instead of traditional discipline (which all too often makes a situation worse, resulting in a damaged relationship).
• Understanding the concept and relationship between employee empowerment and performance.
• How to raise an employee’s performance awareness and accountability.
• The use of techniques/strategies for communicating non-disciplinary clear expectations/outcomes.
• How emphasizing employee empowerment can reduce friction/conflict between managers and employees (and their representatives).
• How Employers can build a culture of mentoring employee success by treating employees as adults. 

• Documenting the Empowerment Agreement (with and without a Collective Bargaining Agreement)
   • Rights of the parties.
   • Avoiding setting a precedent or establishing a past practice
   • Empowerment Process.
   • Exemption from the grievance/appeals process.
   • Final and binding nature of the understanding.
   • Following up = Following through.
• Elements and application of:
   • Limbo (or “Cryogenic Stasis”) Agreements
   • Mirroring for discipline or bidding
   • 90-60-45-30 Performance Improvement Program
   • Conditional Discharge
• LCAs (Last Chance Agreements)
• Pre-bid award conference for mandated seniority-based position
• The Left-handed Compliment

Empowerment for employee and organizational success is a transformative approach that revolves around treating employees as responsible adults within the workplace. By acknowledging employees as capable and accountable contributors, organizations can create a culture that fosters innovation, collaboration, and individual growth. Empowering employees involves providing them with the tools, resources, and support necessary to make informed decisions, take ownership of their work, and contribute meaningfully to organizational objectives. By embracing this mindset, organizations can cultivate a motivated and engaged workforce, leading to increased job satisfaction, higher productivity, and sustained success. Empowerment becomes a cornerstone for building resilient and adaptable organizations in today's dynamic and competitive business landscape.