Do I feel like an owner?

Do employees feel a sense of ownership at work?

A feeling of autonomy and choice—even within boundaries—increases feelings of control. In addition, it reduces uncertainty and stress, and promotes engagement.

Autonomy includes personal involvement in making decisions, having personal discretion, self-management, responsibility, and accountability. Certainly, people need to be able to think and process ideas themselves without others micromanaging them. In short, advice and direction don’t promote ownership.

Giving autonomy and control to the employee requires that supervisors trust employees, value their work, and care about their well-being.

Organizations have adopted flexible work practices to increase engagement. For example, they give employees more choice in when, where, and how much they work. Flexibility often has a positive impact on job satisfaction, lower levels of stress, increased productivity, and heightened loyalty. To sum up, it can positively impact the employee’s view of their employment relationship which results in benefits for the organization.

The company must ensure fairness and equity in these flexible arrangements. Therefore, to achieve the best results, organizations must give managers a degree of autonomy in implementing these flexible practices.

To be successful in such an environment also requires transparency. In other words, decisions are made based on knowledge of the business without the need for micromanagement. Employee clarity on the organization’s Purpose, Philosophy, and Priorities is key to successful autonomy practices.

Ownership at work questions

Questions an employee would consider to evaluate ownership at work:

• Do I have autonomy in my job?
• Does my company give me flexibility in how I achieve my goals?
• Am I included in decision making that impacts my job?
• Do I have substantial responsibility in my job?