No matter how big or small your business is, and no matter its rate of growth, one task that persists for companies of all sizes is empowering its employees to promote their success. As a business grows, managers may try and find new ways of how to empower employees—but there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

The best course of action is to try a few different methods and see what works for your business. Here are five tips for empowering employees and promoting employee success.

Listen to Your Employees’ Needs and Concerns

Sometimes all it takes for an employee to feel more empowered is by making them feel heard. This is the most direct and honest way for you to learn how an employee is feeling, what should be changed, and what is working well.

By listening to employees and gaining a new perspective of how they feel when they’re in the workplace, you’ll also have a better understanding of how you can give them an extra boost to excel while at work. On the contrary, hearing what an employee has to say will also inform you if they’re being pushed too far, which can cause burnout and greatly effect employee and business success.

Give More Praise for Accomplishments

When trying to figure out how to empower employees, sometimes the simplest forms of praise can be the most effective. According to a LinkedIn study, receiving praise for accomplishments and contributions is so important that 32% of workers left their jobs because they were unsatisfied with the recognition, or lack thereof, for their contributions.

Praise doesn’t need to be elaborate; it is just a way to show employees that their hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. While this can certainly promote employee success, it doesn’t need to be a daily occurrence–praise for a job well done can always be given during regularly scheduled evaluations.

Put an Emphasis on Learning and Development

Did you know that 94% of employees say they would stay at a company longer if the company invested in their career? Learning and development is pivotal not just for the employee, but for your business as well. However, the two sides do need to work in collaboration. The more an employee learns, the more empowered they will feel to take initiative in tasks and projects.

Further to this point, training employees helps with retention, accuracy and completion of projects, and overall company growth.

It All Begins with Leadership

When considering how to empower employees, it’s important to look at your business from a broader perspective. Often times, the initial focus has to be on the leadership team. Employees don’t want to feel underworked, and they certainly don’t want to feel overworked.

In fact, 42% of employees say they quit their jobs because of managers who overworked them. Despite this, it may not always be the superior’s fault. It is possible that a manager hasn’t had adequate managerial training. 58% of managers have said they never received any training prior to being placed in a leadership role.

If this training isn’t received by your leadership team, there won’t be any foundation for them to empower and encourage the success of their staff.

Formal Mentoring

While it isn’t possible to mentor every single employee working for your business, it is possible to shed light on different aspects of the business so employees can have a better understanding of what’s going on. This is especially true for your management team. Although they are the leaders of your business, being mentored by members of your executive staff can give management the extra push it needs to effectively guide its employees. In turn, management and its employees will be better equipped for career advancement opportunities. There is no right or wrong method when it comes to how you empower your employees. The best method is the one that your employees respond to the most. Don’t forget, this isn’t a quick process, and you’ll need to go through trial and error to learn what works for you and your staff. For more tips and information on business success, be sure to check out some of our other blogs.