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Granting Employees Autonomy In The Workplace Improves Well-Being

Granting Employees Autonomy In The Workplace Improves Well-Being
by Adam C. Uzialko

When it comes to managing employees, it can be tempting to watch your workers like a hawk. However, new research shows that granting a degree of autonomy to your employees tends to boost their job satisfaction and overall sense of well-being.

Researchers at the University of Birmingham Business School found that workers given more autonomy – in the form of work from home privileges or the pace of work and deadlines – were far more likely to report feeling valued by their employers.

"Greater levels of control over work tasks and schedule have the potential to generate significant benefits for the employee," Daniel Wheatley, senior lecturer in business and labour economics at the Birmingham Business School, said in a statement. "The positive effects associated with informal flexibility and working at home offer further support to the suggestion that schedule control is highly valued and important to employees 'enjoying' work."

When it comes to autonomy, the disparity between management and worker is apparent: 90 percent of those employees working in management reported "some" or "a lot" of autonomy in the workplace, while just 40 to 50 percent of non-management professionals surveyed reported experiencing autonomous working conditions. The remaining half of employees reported no autonomy in their workplace, researchers found.

Autonomy also comes in different shapes and sizes for different employees.

Read full article on Business News Daily.