Joe Kerns
Employee autonomy is one of the most important aspects in a workplace that wants staff to feel connected to their jobs while keeping a fresh and innovative mindset.
In this blog we’ll explain exactly what employee autonomy is, why it is so important, and outline how you can encourage it in your organisation.
What is autonomy in business?
It might sound like a workplace in which AI does all the work, but the reality is quite different: autonomy in business is actually a very human idea.
Autonomy at work essentially means that each employee is understood to work differently from one another. This means they’ll have different timelines, methods and more when it comes to their approach to work.
The key thing about autonomy at work is that it celebrates these differences, rather than trying to force all employees to work in the same way. Therefore each employee should be given the space to essentially manage themselves. As long as the work is completed and the results are met, employees are trusted to work as they see fit.
Examples of autonomy at work
- Flexible hours. Some people want to get cracking on their tasks at 7am, others do their best work later in the evening. Rather than trying to cram all your staff into an outdated 9-5 workday model, a business that promote autonomous working will offer flexible hours. Staff will be expected to work a certain number of hours per day, and most workplaces will have ‘core hours’ where all staff must be present and contactable (usually 10am to 3pm), but outside of that staff are allowed to work the hours that suit them.
- Self-management on projects. While a project will have clear objectives and timelines, each individual working on the project will be allowed to manage their own workload, setting their own sub-goals and creating their own work timeline. This can lead to a true sense of achievement and even bring in some innovative solutions that might have been missed with other ways of working.
- Morning ‘scrums’. Gone are the days of employees starting each day by being given a list of tasks by their manager. Many workplaces instead promote job autonomy by opting for quick catch-up meetings each morning, sometimes known as ‘scrums’. These meetings see each team member plan out their day and share this plan with the team. Again, it gives staff sense of ownership over their work, and allows for greater collaboration as each team member is aware of what everyone else is working on.
Why autonomy at work is important
Managers at any successful business should understand that their employees are their greatest strength, especially if they are viewed as a collective of individuals, each with their own needs and method of working. This is why promoting autonomy at work is so important. By allowing (and encouraging) your team to take ownership of their work and themselves you’ll see an array of benefits. These include:
Improved engagement and motivation
There’s no point in hiring ambitious, creative people if you aren’t willing to give them the space and autonomy to show these qualities at work. By promoting autonomy in your office, you’re allowing your team to maintain their personalities while focusing on their tasks, improving engagement with their work and further motivating them to become the best versions of themselves.
Fostering leadership qualities
If an employee wants to learn how to manage other people, first they must be able to manage themselves. Autonomous working gives them this opportunity.
The independent, problem-solving mindset that job autonomy fosters will be invaluable in developing team members to become future managers and leaders in your organisation.
Increased creativity
Autonomous working does not mean your employees work without support from their managers, but it does mean staff will be given the opportunity to try and fix issues or come up with solutions themselves before turning to a more senior member of the team.
This gives your staff the chance to try new and innovative methods of working, improving their creativity and problem-solving skills.
Wondering how to encourage autonomy at work? Try these proven methods
Build a culture of trust in your organisation
Autonomous working can only flourish in an environment of trust, in which managers trust team members to work independently, while they in return trust their managers to only support them when necessary.
It’s essential that this culture of trust works in both directions. Employees need to feel valued and that upper management sees them as reliable team members. If mistakes are made, staff shouldn’t be punished as it will make them reticent to work autonomously in the future. Instead it should be seen as a learning opportunity, and a moment of growth.
Prioritise recognition and reward
As with any change in styles of work, managers need to understand it will take effort from their employees to truly make the change a success, and that this effort needs to be recognised and rewarded.
By utilising digital Reward & Recognition tools, you can celebrate staff members who are embracing job autonomy, rewarding their work and publicly praising them as examples for colleagues to follow. This in turn will increase ‘buy in’ from others and contribute to making your new autonomous working culture a success.
Ease into autonomous working gradually
If you’re reading this and realising that you haven’t been promoting autonomous working, then there’s no better time to start than right now! However, don’t rush into anything without a plan.
Any kind of cultural shift needs to be introduced to your workforce gradually. If your team is used to having their daily or weekly tasks set for them by managers, you risk them having to fly blindly if you suddenly expect them to start working autonomously.
How to measure autonomy in the workplace
Autonomous working should not mean employees are left entirely alone or that output is never measured. After introducing autonomous working you should be closely checking output and performance to see what impact it has had on your team.
A simple way to measure autonomy in the workplace is by conducting employee surveys. This gives a chance for you to hear from your staff, letting them share their thoughts about the new autonomous working culture and the impact they are feeling from it. It will also give them a chance to voice any concerns or suggest any changes they would like to see moving forward.
Through the Reward Gateway | Edenred platform, you can launch customised employee surveys to gain a deeper understanding of what your people need and feel, and accurately pinpoint areas for improvement.
Important considerations for better workplace autonomy
Offer support
Many workers thrive when being given more autonomy at work, recognising that they are being trusted and given space to be more creative and self-managing with their tasks. However, for some people it may take a little longer to adjust. If you’re a business leader bringing in a culture of autonomous working, you need to recognise this and prep for it.
Some team members might feel a little directionless, possibly even abandoned, without the constant guidance from managers that they are used to. Be sure to recognise these feelings and offer support to these staff members, reiterating that you trust their abilities to work autonomously.
Don’t be alarmed by a short-term ‘dip’ in performance
Remember, after introducing autonomous working you should be closely checking output and performance to see what impact it has on your team. In some cases you might notice a short-term dip as people become accustomed to this new way of working, but if it’s been implemented properly, you should soon see the benefits of autonomous working as both work output and employee satisfaction increase.
It’s an ongoing process
You might not hit the bullseye with your new autonomous working culture right away, and that’s OK. As mentioned above, measuring the impact of your new autonomous working culture through employee surveys is crucial, and should be an ongoing process. You’ll have to adapt to the needs of your employees, change certain things and adopt an approach in which you’re constantly learning and perfecting your culture. It takes some effort, but the results will be worth it.
Autonomous working FAQs
What is the manager's role in autonomous working?
Managers are still present and important in an autonomous working culture. However rather than micromanaging or setting rigid tasks for their team, they should instead provide clear goals and offer support, while conveying a sense of trust and belief that their team members are capable or working autonomously.
How do you keep employees accountable in an autonomous working culture?
While autonomous working means day-to-day tasks are left to each staff member’s discretion, clear deadlines and outcomes should still be set, and staff should be expected to meet them. Some organisations also find that project management tools allow team members to voluntarily update their progress, without having to deal with a manager constantly asking them for updates on their work.
Is autonomous working suitable for all roles?
Most office-based workers should be able to find benefit in being given some autonomy in their work. However, it’s the responsibility of the manager to decide which roles can be given high levels of autonomy, while others might need more close support.
For example, an experienced developer with clear knowledge of their work and strong understanding of the project they are working on can usually be left to work autonomously. On the other hand, a more junior employee in a role that requires a lot of on-the-job learning might require closer support from their manager for the first few months of their position.
Speak with one of our employee engagement experts today to find out how we can help you in encouraging employee autonomy, boosting trust and performance and building empowered teams within your organisation.
