When you want to enable more autonomy: 6 things to consider

There are so many factors that can go into why someone feels engaged in their job. What engages someone is truly personal, as what matters to Bob may not matter to Sue. However, in these uncertain times, a few factors seem to be coming up time and time again regardless of the employee. These factors include belonging, purpose, being part of something bigger, having an impact, trust, flexibility, and autonomy.

Not everyone values autonomy over other factors, like stability, security, status, or compensation, but in these times, autonomy seems to be at the forefront of what matters to people. Now, giving a lot of autonomy may not be possible for specific roles or levels. Still, there are ways that managers can enable people to have some feeling of ownership and authority.

Autonomy does not mean someone is left alone without expectations, status reports, or accountability. Autonomy means giving some independence in creating solutions, selecting from choices, and making decisions. Everyone is accountable to someone in an organization. Even the CEO is responsible to a board of directors and shareholders.

One area people are looking to have some autonomy is where they work. We are still debating whether remote work is productive and whether culture remains intact when we are scattered across our homes. We are experimenting with mandating days in the office vs. allowing people to return when there is a valid business reason to do so. I don't have the right answer here because there isn't one. 

I can argue that productivity has increased with remote work, but I also see that disconnection and disengagement have risen. I can argue that gas prices are making commutes expensive, and employees are no longer willing to foot the bill for those costs if they are required to return to the office. I can also argue that in some countries employees have always had to pay their own way to get to the office. 

There is no right answer to where to work, but one thing is clear. Where and when we work matters a lot to people now. And these two areas should be explicit conversations between leaders, managers, and employees.

Allowing some autonomy demonstrates trust. This is the most significant benefit of autonomy and builds stronger relationships and loyalty. Providing some autonomy may feel awkward to some managers who think they may be losing some control, have trouble working through others, and can't delegate effectively.

I recently listened to an HBR podcast, and the guest said that knowledge workers could easily do their job remotely because it is defined and can be executed from any desk. However, those who manage them need to be in the office to do their job because traditional management may require the manager to oversee, check in on status, solve problems, and manage crises and emergencies. Interesting….This is why I think we need a shift in the manager role (a future blog for sure!).

Leaders and managers should consider enabling autonomy in a few ways to keep people engaged. Here are six areas of focus:

1. Determine work location

I think people have proven how productive and motivated they can be remote. I am reading studies lately that state the number of web meetings people are in directly correlates to how much they want to be remote. Make perfect sense. I know the days I am on global calls all day long are not the days I want to be in the office. With many offices being open floor plans, being on calls for 8 hours is tricky. The person has no privacy, and the co-located colleagues are constantly disrupted. Allow your employees to pick when they are home and when they are in the office. Trust they can make that decision for themselves, the business, and their coworkers.

2. Define work hours

This one may be controversial but if someone's job can be done during non 9-5 hours and they prefer that, then let them. We have seen a new work hour stretch emerge the last two years: 8 am-12 pm, 1-4 pm, and 7-9 pm. This may work best for someone to get their job done and juggle their families. Does it matter? If they are attending meetings, fulfilling their obligations, and contributing positively, when they work should not matter. Of course, performance matters here. Have solid KPIs and targets for people to meet. As long as they complete their performance objectives, this could be a way to provide some autonomy. This will allow your employees to feel control over their lives, which will help them be engaged. 

3. Make some decisions

Not everyone can make every decision. This is why we have hierarchies in organizations. Not everyone has the experience, knowledge, or authority to make all the decisions. However, managers should consider what decisions their team members can make. This should be a conversation as some people don't want to make any decisions, but those who crave some autonomy would prefer to call the shots in some circumstances. Not every decision we need to make is a big one. Start with minor decisions someone can make to see how they use their problem-solving skills.

4. Create proposals

If you can't let them take the reins with some decisions, provide people the chance to research and propose a solution or approach to a problem, client, or process. So often, managers will jump in and solve problems. We are wired to do this. Instead, resist that urge and allow your team member to propose what to do. You may be the decision-maker, but they could have leeway to help create the solution. People support what they create, so they will be bought in from the beginning.

5. Lead a meeting

I also think a great way to get your team members involved and feel some autonomy is to allow them to lead the next team meeting. Managers don't always have to drive every team meeting. We can let others take the lead from time to time. Allow them to create and drive the agenda. Be sure to give feedback afterward to reinforce what they did right and coach and discuss if something could have gone differently.

6. Pick projects

Again, this may not be 100% possible, but if you allow your team member to select the projects they can work on or get first dibs on a crucial effort, this will give them the sense of having some control over their work and workload. Given how vital someone's purpose is today, it is empowering to allow some freedom to focus on where someone feels their strengths and values align. We all have to do things we are not wild about in our day-to-day jobs, but if given some choice in the big stuff, we will feel more in control of our success.

Full autonomy is challenging for anyone to achieve. We are all accountable to someone(s) within our work lives to ensure we remain objective, succeed, and achieve results. But, we can do things to allow our teams some autonomy to frame their work. 

Be sure to have individual conversations to ensure autonomy matters to your team members. Some factors may matter more, but in these times, having some control and latitude over how we balance our career and personal life has risen to the top of the list of workers' desires.