The Advantages of Involving Employees in the Decision-Making Process

Daily decision-making is one of the hardest aspects of running a business. When a business is struggling and staff are not fully engaged, the decision-making process may be the culprit. Perhaps you are unsure of where to turn or how to look for fresh new ideas. Understanding and tweaking this process within your business can potentially solve some issues while showcasing your knowledgeable staff at the same time.

A lot of businesses still take a top-down approach to making decisions and minimize employee input; however, many experts disagree with this method. Including your staff in helping make decisions for the business can make significant and overall improvements. We will cover some ways to start promoting your staff to make daily business decisions. We will also look at the impact that this will have on your staff, making for a prosperous business outlook.

Employee Morale

The impact of low employee morale can be felt in various ways. Employees may disengage from their work, leading to a higher rate of unplanned absences or tardiness. Low productivity levels could also be an indicator that overall employee morale is low. According to a survey by the Gallup Organization, around 22 million employees are disengaged from their work, causing a loss of roughly $350 billion per year.

Involving employees is the first step to boosting the morale of your staff on a regular basis. By allowing staff to share their ideas, they are going to feel more valued. Employees are empowered when they have a true stake within the business. An environment with open communication fosters increased productivity, leading to job satisfaction and an overall positive outlook of the business.

New Ideas

Struggling to find new ideas for your business? Tap into the resources that you already have instead of spending money on new resources. Each employee in your arsenal has the potential to give your business the next great thing, without having to hire outside your organization and accruing additional expenses. Let your employees provide their unique perspective for new business ideas. Current, experienced employees already know your company and its needs. There is potential around every corner as long as you are willing to bring your employees to the table to let them share.

Sometimes, more is not better; however, each staff member you empower to share their ideas produces additional ideas. Every person thinks and sees things differently, so you could be missing out on big opportunities by not listening to your employees.

Team Building

Working together as a whole company can be a struggle. It is important to remember that every department is key to the overall success. Encourage your staff to work together collectively, inside and outside of their departments. Promote cross-training and open discussions to bring new ideas to the table. This openness encourages people to stay engaged, while working with others toward one common goal.

“Blame Game” issues may also be resolved with this kind of setup. If the collective team is responsible for tasks, it may result in fewer pointing fingers, as there is a collaborative environment where ideas are not only implemented by select, individual employees. In this type of environment, staff are pushed out of their comfort zone to take more risks and promote their ideas, since they are now being taken seriously as viable assets. Your employees will then be more likely to encourage each other to be better, since they are now on the same page.

Any way you look at it, getting your employees involved in the decision-making process is beneficial to your company. Your personnel want to be involved in fostering the same goals and ideologies as your company, giving both long-term successes. This also promotes growth with your employees, as they begin to feel that their ideas matter. Your employees will be motivated to continuously improve the company and themselves, as they know their voices are being heard to make a difference.

About Automated Systems, Inc.
Since 1981, Automated Systems, Inc. has been a leader in providing innovative core banking, digital banking, and data processing solutions to community banks nationwide.  An array of integrated applications provide partnered banks with tailored, cost-effective, competitive choices.  ASI delivers industry-leading technology backed by unparalleled in-house conversion, training and support teams; paving the way for progressive, top-notch customer service.  ASI corporate headquarters are located at 1201 Libra Drive, Lincoln, NE 68512, 1.800.279.7312.  For more information about banking solutions from ASI, visit www.asiweb.com.

About Insite Data Services
IDS data application hosting services combines secure and cost-effective core banking applications, enterprise-class servers and storage, and proven virtualization technology.  IDS hosts all of the bank’s servers in secure data centers that use state of the art security systems including identity verification and biometric scanning.  Insite Data Services also offers IDS On-Time, a full-service solution dedicated to back-office bank processing.  These operations experts allow partnered banks to focus on their most important asset, their customers.  For more information visit www.insitedataservices.com.

Sources:

https://www.hrzone.com/community/blogs/sashag/5-reasons-to-engage-employees-in-decision-making

https://smallbusiness.chron.com/five-qualities-good-management-25297.html