Here’s our guide to some of the most commonly asked questions about Brand Activation Management (BAM). We’ll be adding to this growing FAQ list, so be sure to check back. Can’t find the answer you need? Get in touch with our team. 

How much does it cost?

The licence fee for Brand Activation Management (BAM by Papirfly™) depends on just how expansive you want your portal to be, and how much help you need in the initial set-up. Paying for BAM on an ongoing basis is done so through an annual SaaS fee that’s calculated based on how many modules you want and how much storage you need. 

Many of the brands we work with produce hundreds of thousands of pounds of assets each year, despite not having this budget to begin with. So, not only do you save money by bringing creation in-house, but you also maximise the budget you already have. 

Is it really infinite creation?

Yes. You can choose to add as many modules (video, social, print etc.) to your portal as you wish. Once you have your modules in place and your templates set up, you can then create as many assets from these templates as you want, truly infinite amounts, with no additional cost to the annual SaaS fee. 

How customisable are BAM templates and features?

Each module (e.g. video editing) will have customisable features specific to the type of asset you are creating. Across all modules, you can expect to see some consistent customisations across the board. You may or may not wish to use these, and they can be turned off if not required. Or, only specific team members can have access to specific customisations.
 
The most common types of customisation features are:

• Logo and sub-brands
• Headlines and body copy
• Layouts and positioning
• Sizing and formats
• Localisation
• Imagery 
• Colour palettes 

What other big brands are successfully using BAM?

BAM is used by hundreds of companies across the world and has over 500,000 active users.

• Unilever
• AstraZeneca
• HSBC
• Modelez
• Vodafone

Are we too big for BAM?

There’s no such thing as ‘too big for BAM’. We work with global corporations that have thousands of employees and hundreds of offices across the world. BAM portals are designed with you and the needs of the business in mind. It can grow and change as and when you need it to. 

Are we too small for BAM?

While BAM isn’t currently suitable for SMEs (watch this space!), we often find that some smaller brands and start-ups could really benefit from having BAM in place from the outset. If you are serious about controlling the integrity of your brand and empowering teams to create what they need, when they need it, take a look at our article on how BAM can maximise your marketing budget. 

Will our rate of growth outpace the software?

Your BAM portal is built with our team and can include all the features you need to accommodate your business and marketing needs right now. We can also future-proof your portal by adding elements you may not be ready for now, but anticipate needing in the coming weeks or months. Whenever you’re ready to take the next step, just ‘turn them on’ and get started right away.

Likewise, your BAM portal is an evolving tool. Your dedicated Customer Success Managers can manage any ongoing changes and customisations to keep up with your growth. The portal itself is highly customisable, so even if there’s something unique to your brand that you can’t see available in the portal, discuss it with us and we will always do our best to accommodate your needs. 

How do the localisation features work?

Teams can have access to as many or as few localisation features as you allow them to. Within the creation tool, they can do the following:

• Create new assets from existing templates 
• Edit and localise existing creatives
• Switch out imagery to be more culturally specific or relevant
• Change logos to be in line with their territory
• Convert English text into localised language
• Update any country-specific information or legalities 

Do employees need to be competent in design?

The idea behind BAM by Papirfly™ is for it to be accessible to every type of employee at every level. Anyone in your team that is able to use a computer and the internet will be able to use BAM effectively. 

Once your portal is built, teams need just an hour of training before they are able to hit the ground running.

Pre-defined rules and templates ensure that only certain actions can be performed, providing limitations that ensure the integrity of your brand is always retained. We like to call it flexibility within a framework. 

How does the portal work on a global scale?

Your portal is accessed via a login on a dedicated URL. Several logins and custom dashboard views can be created for different teams and individuals across the world. Teams can have access to only what they need or is relevant to their market, while those in charge can see everything if they choose. 

Customisation and admin control levels can be set at an individual level. Templates, libraries and the integrated DAM can be tailored and organised at a brand or territory level, ensuring that there’s no confusion over which creatives should be used and when. 

Will we still need to work with an agency?

We believe the partnership you form with an agency is invaluable. So much so that we even work WITH agencies to implement BAM for their clients. An agency’s strength lies in its strategic and creative skills, and with the magic of BAM the lion’s share of your budget can be spent on these strengths, with everything else taken care of in-house.

When delivering day-to-day collateral, you need it turned around fast, and this isn’t always possible for an agency. By striking the right balance of what should be delivered by your agency and your in-house team, your budget is spent in the right areas and your deadlines will always be met.

BAM is not just a powerful creation tool that allows you to deliver marketing at speed and scale, it’s also a brand education portal, campaign management tool and a Digital Asset Management system. BAM brings together all the key technologies needed to optimise your marketing output, and effortlessly delivers it in a single comprehensive platform. 

Still can’t make up your mind? Take a look at these resources: 

Curious about brand portals? Read this first 

How BAM goes beyond creative automation 

How do I work out ROI?

This depends on several factors including:

• Your current budget
• How much you spend with agencies
• Your need for marketing collateral
• How demanding your deadlines are

How long does BAM take to implement?

This can vary depending on the scale of the project and your brand’s needs. Typically we would say that larger, disjointed brands can have their portals live within a year. Remember, there’s a lot of work internally that needs to be completed to get your brand aligned before we build your portal, and this is often where delays can lie. 

How can BAM prevent mistakes from happening?

When we build your brand portal, we create design templates with locked down and editable features. How editable or restricted each part of an asset is entirely up to you.

• Your brand portal can also integrate with other systems to ensure the accuracy of data, such as a PIM or ERP system. 
• A digitised sign-off process can ensure amends are made and collateral meets organisational requirements before an asset is ever allowed to be downloaded or published. 
• Sizes and finishes for printed materials can also be pre-populated for each team or department to avoid misprints.
  
  

Ready to take the next step? Still have more questions about BAM?

You have a few options as to what you can do next: 

• Explore our BAM resources to learn even more
• Contact our team to find the answer to your question
• See the portal in action in a personal live demo

At a time where consumers are spoiled for choice as to where they devote their time and money, the importance of a strong, memorable brand grows greater every day.

Your brand is your unique calling card. Your organisation’s identity and personality. The values and components that inspire others to buy from you, join you, engage with you. It’s impossible to overstate its worth, and imperative to nail down in an increasingly competitive landscape.

The power of brand

• 82% of consumers will first click on a brand they’re familiar with after a Google Search (Source: Red C)
• 81% of consumers need to trust a brand before they buy from them (Source: Edelman)
• Consistent brand presentation increases revenue up to 33% (Source: Lucidpress)
• It takes 5-7 interactions with a brand for people to remember it (Source: Pam Moore)
• 43% of consumers choose brands they’re loyal to over their industry competitors (Source: Fundera)
• 59% of consumers prefer to buy new products from trusted brands (Source: Invesp)
• Consistently presented brands enjoy 3.5 times more visibility than inconsistent ones (Source: Demand Metric)

However, the burden of building and maintaining a global brand is far from easy. It can eat away at time and budget – both of which are often in short supply. You have to manage more channels than ever, with the potential for any inconsistency to hurt your reputation. It is a full-time responsibility, and never seems to get any simpler.

Well, that was until Brand Activation Management (BAM) emerged. With this in place, brands globally are unlocking their brand’s true potential. They are locking down consistency across all channels and markets. They are delivering more while dedicating less time and resources.

Here, you will find out why BAM is fast-becoming the beating heart of marketing teams the world over.

What is Brand Activation Management?

Brand Activation Management is a total, all-inclusive approach to protecting, preserving and propelling a brand to achieve its full potential.

This enables teams to centralise content production and bring it in-house, with no need for specialist expertise or any sacrifice in quality. An infinite number of assets can be seamlessly created, stored and shared with teams around the globe.

Basically, it makes executing your brand easy, as per your brand guidelines, whilst removing traditional bottlenecks for asset production.

In addition, employees can be educated on everything that represents and depicts their brand through a dedicated portal, and asset usage across campaigns can be planned, monitored and analysed with ease.

BAM was developed in response to the ever-growing importance of branding to connect with audiences worldwide, and the pressures teams faced in pursuing this goal. Standing out from the crowd is only getting tougher, and marketers need every advantage they can get.

Especially when brand management is littered with challenges, including:

• Limited capacity or budgets to produce assets frequently on all channels
• Inconsistencies due to a mismanaged brand guidelines, reliance on third-party agencies or simply time pressures
• Lack of in-house designers and creatives
• Restrictions on available technology (e.g. video editing software)
• Dealing with language and culture changes across international audiences
• Difficulties collaborating with local teams to launch timely campaigns
• Assets frequently getting lost or forgotten, leading to duplication of efforts

These issues have placed brand managers and marketing teams under unenviable pressure – with repercussions felt on work-life balance and their overall working experience.

BAM meets these challenges head-on, so marketing teams can enhance the power of their brand while making life simpler at the same time.

6 reasons why BAM represents the future of marketing

To explain the difference that BAM makes to teams who want to showcase their brand to the fullest, here we will break down some of the standout challenges marketing teams face and how BAM overcomes them.

• Challenge #1: Limited time and/or budget
• Challenge #2: Lack of designers and creatives
• Challenge #3: Branding inconsistencies
• Challenge #4: Assets going missing
• Challenge #5: Out of control campaigns
• Challenge #6: Language and cultural barriers

Challenge #1: Limited time and/or budget

It’s a problem more and more marketing teams are having to contend with. In 2021 marketing budgets plummeted to an average of just 6.4% of company revenue – the lowest percentage on record.

A lack of time and budget hinders a brand – and the people responsible for managing it – in numerous ways:

• Assets can’t be produced as frequently or across more channels
• Quality of output is restricted by capacity available
• Opportunities for effective campaigns are missed by lack of resources
• People work longer hours to get work over the line, affecting their wellbeing

BAM’s solution

Introducing BAM into an organisation can make an immediate difference to how budgets are handled and how quickly assets are produced:

• The use of bespoke, intelligent templates, across all marketing channels, enables assets to be produced in a fraction of the time they would take conventionally
• This substantial time-saving means that an organisation can produce hundreds, if not thousands, more assets a month than without BAM
• Templates are built in accordance with an organisation’s brand guidelines, so there is no risk of going off-brand, which saves time on proofing and amending assets
• Adaptations can be done in seconds, so assets can be reused across multiple campaigns

Fundamentally, a BAM platform empowers marketing teams to create an infinite number of on-brand, studio-standard assets, allowing organisations to spread their branding further – at reduced costs and with no compromise in quality

Challenge #2: Lack of designers and creatives

A big hindrance to marketing teams is a lack of in-house specialists to take ownership of producing brand materials. This is understandable – hiring staff is a significant expense, particularly at a time when budgets are shrinking.

However, this either limits the capacity that teams have to spread their brand far and wide, or results in a lower-quality output due to a lack of time or expertise. 

Alternatively, brands can become reliant on agencies to produce these materials. While more cost-effective than hiring in-house, it does represent a drain on much-needed budget. And, because agencies have other responsibilities, there is no certainty that they will be able to squeeze in work when time is of the essence.

BAM’s solution

Anyone can use BAM after just an hour’s training. Because its templates are so intuitive and leave so little margin for error, someone with little or no design experience can hop onto this platform and produce high-quality materials instantly.

This means organisations don’t have to spend over-the-odds for in-house creatives, or become dependent on agencies to produce the content they need. Instead, BAM upskills existing employees so they can actively create materials when they’re needed.

Challenge #3: Branding inconsistencies

There are many issues that can allow inconsistencies to creep into an organisation’s branding:

• Lack of communication and collaboration across teams
• Agencies not having a firm grasp on brand guidelines
• Brand guidelines not being accessible or understood by team members
• Time constraints leading to assets being rushed

These circumstances can have dramatic repercussions on how a brand is perceived by its audiences. They may be confused about its identity, making it appear weak and untrustworthy. Customer journeys become disjointed. Employees and partners are less inspired to become brand advocates.

BAM’s solution

Again, the locked-down elements of BAM’s pre-defined templates make it virtually impossible for assets to go off-brand. This is a massive relief to marketers, who are assured that all materials presented to their consumers are aligned with their brand values and identity.

Furthermore, BAM’s commitment to consistency stretches further than the strength of its templates:

• The potential to introduce approval workflows ensures that any asset produced can quickly be sent to marketing managers to green light before anything goes live
• BAM provides a central, online hub for all brand guidelines, training materials and more, so employees can always be informed of their parameters
• It offers the capacity for team members worldwide to collaborate and comment on work in real-time

Challenge #4: Assets going missing

Did you know that the average information worker spends 28 days a year searching for documents? The time it takes marketing teams to uncover assets and other resources lost in meandering folders can often be comparable.

This significant waste of time is only compounded when, if the asset being searched for can’t be found, teams then have to devote additional time duplicating the original output.

BAM’s solution

BAM platforms confront this age-old problem by housing their own in-built Digital Asset Management (DAM) tool. A DAM acts as a central database for all campaigns, imagery and documents – once an asset is saved onto it, a user can quickly locate, download, edit or send anything within the DAM to their teams worldwide for use in their campaigns.

• Assets can be stored and categorised by team, sub-brand, campaign or country, making them easy to find
• All material is downloaded, saved, shared and edited from within the portal
• Different accessibility levels can be set per user, meaning employees can only access content that is relevant to them

Challenge #5: Out of control campaigns

The already vast number of channels that marketing teams use to present their brand seems to expand every year. This puts pressure on these teams to not only produce enough assets to maintain a frequent presence in their audiences’ eyes, but also to manage these campaigns competently.

Without good oversight of all assets that are required for a campaign and when, they can quickly descend into chaos. Deadlines are missed. Opportunities are lost. Brand value is diminished rather than enhanced.

BAM’s solution

BAM platforms resolve this problem with comprehensive campaign planners. Teams gain a bird’s-eye view of everything created and shared across international teams, allowing them to plot clear timelines for particular assets over the course of a campaign.

This establishes order at a time where it is so easy to lose control. Marketers benefit from an organised plan of action, which can be overseen and updated at any time.

Challenge #6: Language and cultural barriers

Finally, for global brands to truly resonate with consumers worldwide, content must be adapted to meet different languages and cultures. If this isn’t pursued, or not fulfilled effectively, brands are unlikely to form deep, meaningful relationships with customers further afield than those in their home base.

BAM’s solution

By empowering marketing teams to instantly adapt materials into any required languages, and use a DAM to store an infinite number of culturally appropriate images and assets, BAM helps brands to harness the true power of localisation.

This helps to ensure that brand identity is not compromised across all markets, while any subtle alterations helps to avoid mistranslation mistakes or cultural faux-pas that could hurt a brand’s image globally.

These are just some of the standout ways that BAM platforms will be a must-have tool for marketing teams who want to maximise the potential of their brand for the long term. This approach is an unquestionable time and cost-saver for marketing teams of any size.

But the advantages extend even further when we consider the unique ways BAM supports the work of distinct areas of marketing. Below, we delve into three of the most notable places where BAM makes a big difference:

• Employer branding
• Retail marketing
• Corporate communications

BAM for… employer branding

The strength and attractiveness of an organisation’s employer brand is an indicator of their future prospects. With competition for top talent fiercer than ever, and an ongoing battle to retain valued team members from poaching, improving this aspect of marketing is critical to the continued growth of an organisation:

75% of job seekers are more likely to apply to companies that actively manage their employer brand 

92% of people would consider switching jobs when offered one at a company with an excellent corporate reputation 

Strong employer brands can reduce the cost per hire by up to 50% 

Slicker recruitment campaigns

Through the campaign planning capabilities, BAM helps companies create more coherent recruitment campaigns across their various markets. This helps brands to be ever-present in the minds of potential recruits on all of the channels they use, so they get a clearer, more consistent impression of what it’s like to work for their company.

More emphatic onboarding

Once a candidate is attracted to a company, BAM can streamline the process of onboarding them into the company. By housing all brand guidelines, EVPs, training videos and more in one central, easy-to-access portal, new recruits can be immediately immersed into their work environment.

This is particularly valuable at a time where remote and hybrid working is on the rise – a solid digital onboarding experience can help recruits become accustomed to company values and culture even if they don’t step foot in the office.

Turn employees into advocates

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that candidates are more likely to trust the experiences of employees at an organisation than the messages coming from the main brand channels.

BAM can help transform employees into advocates by enabling them to produce high-quality content for social channels based on their workplace experience.

BAM for… retail marketing

The significance of speed and accuracy in retail marketing is impossible to overstate. To keep the full, undivided attention of consumers, these teams need to be consistently engaging them with content. Responding to the latest trends and developments. Providing a truly multi-channel experience – both in-store and online.

Reduced time-to-market

With agility a crucial characteristic of any great retailer, BAM ensures this is never lacking. Local stores are enabled to immediately craft content that jumps on hot trends or events, be it with a timely discount or a limited special offer.

Without constant back-and-forth between the head office and separate locations, these opportunities can be capitalised on much sooner – with BAM ensuring that there is never any cause for concern over brand inconsistencies.

Infinite digital and print assets

There is more pressure than ever on retailers to deliver a truly omnichannel experience to consumers. A fluid, uninterrupted and completely consistent journey, whether a customer engages a brand online, or by heading inside a shop.

As BAM unlocks the ability to create an infinite number of print and digital assets – all with distinct templates to guarantee everything is on-brand – this ensures that consistency is locked down across all touchpoints. No matter where a customer interacts with a brand, they will get the same impression.

Full PIM and ERP integration

PIM and ERP systems have greatly enhanced how reliably retailers capture and store data across their products and processes. But BAM can take their benefits even further.

By integrating with these solutions, BAM users can harness this data to make sure that all product data presented in their marketing is 100% accurate at all times. This confirms that customers are never shown incorrect information, building up their trust in brands.

BAM for… corporate communications

An organisation’s corporate communications are critical to the perception of both internal and external audiences form of its brand. The messages a company relays to its customers, employees, partners and the wider world must consistently evoke the values and characteristics of the brand to keep them engaged and clear on what it stands for.

Unique, accessible brand portals

By establishing a central, united brand portal for organisations, regardless of how far teams are stretched out, BAM platforms keep all critical brand-related information in one, easy-to-access place.

This helps prevent teams from becoming disjointed. Every team member is fully engaged with their brand identity through this platform, ensuring content both internally and externally never needs to go off-message.

Upscale internal communications

There’s no question that the more actively an employer communicates with employees, the more likely they will feel part of a community and involved in driving the company’s future. Productivity rises. Culture is reinforced. Loyalty towards the brand increases.
Therefore, by allowing teams to upscale their internal communications, be it through regular newsletters, motivational signage or robust handbooks, BAM can help foster better connectivity throughout teams.

React to events quickly and consistently

There is a growing expectation of brands to voice their opinion on societal issues that correlate to their values, or take ownership of mistakes or problems in a timely fashion. If this doesn’t happen or takes too long, a brand’s reputation can quickly begin to slide.

The increased dynamism that BAM provides enables teams to rapidly create content – press releases, adverts, announcements, etc. – in response to emerging events. A speedy reaction helps brands to stand out to consumers on societal issues that matter to them, or reduce the backlash that may develop after some bad press.

What does company culture look like? It’s much more than an office bar and quirky team photos on your website. Culture is something deeply embedded at an organisational, managerial and individual level – it’s a mindset and an effective way of working.

There are always going to be barriers in our working lives, the unremarkable and the unpredictable, waiting and ready to pounce and descend our effectiveness into chaos. Projects don’t always go to plan. Resources aren’t always available and budgets are often stretched or limited. Sometimes we run out of coffee. We adapt and we overcome. 

But when a business is continually faced with the same problems day in, day out, shouldn’t it be in the best interest of the team to invest time in unearthing a solution? If an issue affects even one person in a department, it has the potential to disrupt everyone down the line. Deadlines are missed. People get stressed. Nobody has a simple way of getting stuff done. 

Most intelligent software has been born out of taking an everyday problem and providing a solution that simplifies – Xero for accounting, Slack for project management and HubSpot for sales to name a few. But what about marketing? How are marketing teams supposed to keep up, create campaigns and take hold of their rightful market share?

Well, there is a way for marketing teams to work smarter, not harder. What we at Papirfly would call, the better way.  

Such an agile industry like marketing calls for an agile system. But when design needs to be governed from a brand consistency and creative perspective, can simple-to-use design software ever be truly agile?

The short answer is yes.

Our vision as a company for nearly 20 years has been to challenge the status quo and simplify the everyday. We understand creating marketing materials can be expensive, time-consuming and – let’s face it – an absolute nightmare to deliver on a global scale. Traditional methods of delivery just can’t keep up.

What our web-based software does is bring branding control, consistency and creativity into the hands of your team – without specialist expertise or support. It harnesses smart templates, which are programmed to give your team freedom to create what they need within a specified framework. Every format, every size, every type of asset they could possibly need – and they have the power to create it.

The designs are to an agency-standard, restrictions are in place to ensure brand identity is never compromised and it’s incredibly simple to use. Businesses can embrace new opportunities because teams are quick to react to market demands, rather than miss the boat due to restrictive budgets or turnaround times.

Of course not having to engage an agency every time you need something saves money, which is incredibly valuable. But the resources, stress and strategic thinking time it saves is priceless.

Does the better way mark the end for agencies?

Absolutely not.

If anything, the role of agencies is to become even more significant. When clients become more self-sufficient, budgets are freed to be reinvested. That money can be redistributed into more strategic work, high-level campaign planning and driving the brand forward.

The role of Papirfly is to ensure that when this incredible thinking reaches all corners of the globe, nothing has been misused, diluted or gone rogue.

Does the better way mean a change of culture?

For me ‘The Better Way’ is much more than a slogan, more than a call to action that agencies, retail marketers, employer brand teams and marketing teams can rally behind. 

I believe it looks to redefine the culture of businesses, to show on a grander scale how platforms and systems like Papirfly are bringing about a change to the mentality of work and helping everyone achieve greater all-round balance in their lives.

It’s an investment into business sustainability and your employees. 

When work becomes easier to execute, more gets done. Employees are more productive. Management is satisfied and everyone feels appreciated.

It would be contrived to say that a single piece of software can change the world, but what I can say is that it will change everything for your teams, for you and your brand. Having a local or global brand strategy is one thing – having the ability to deliver it is another, and having the ability to deliver it with ease is the reality you get with Papirfly.

When teams become more collaborative, more empowered and start producing amazing work, great things can and will happen.

People start to take full lunch breaks. Smile more. Leave on time. Have more space for thinking. Become better at their jobs. Are happier at home. Live more fulfilled lives.

And stuff still gets done.

Global governance is the better way.

Freedom to create is the better way.  

Trusting and empowering your teams is the better way.

There IS a better way. You just need to be ready to embrace it.

Imagine the potential of a workplace where employees are more confident to make decisions; a place where they are more accountable, more satisfied and where problems are resolved much faster. It might seem like a corporate pipe-dream, but these outcomes are just some of the benefits of a successful workforce empowerment model.

Is it a coincidence some of the world’s largest brands, such as Disney and Google, are also among the biggest practitioners of workplace empowerment?

While the idea of employee empowerment is considered a current trend, the concept is not new. And these days many businesses realise that its staff is their company’s biggest asset. Having the right people in the right seats is priceless. After all, a business is only as good as the people running the day-to-day.

What’s more, front-line staff are the only ones who truly understand how most company processes work. Working closely with customers, for example, gives these employees unique insight into how the company operates in a real-world situation. They’re often well-placed to benefit business decisions.

So what do unempowered workplaces look like?

High staff turnovers, low morale and unhealthy levels of stress can all stem from a lack of empowerment. If employees aren’t trusted to deliver their responsibilities without the need for micromanagement, or conversely are tasked with delivering beyond their capabilities, they can begin to feel dissatisfied and disengaged.

A 2019 study by CENSUSWIDE revealed that more than a third of employees interviewed felt undervalued and would not recommend their current employer to friends. If those employees had felt more empowered in their workplace, would this number be so high?

Often the usual command and control style of management sees an employee waiting to be given empowerment by a manager.

But proper empowerment means an employee is self-directed and has control of the areas of responsibility for their job role. They’re trusted, they understand the business goals and they have the tools to deliver successfully. This devolution of power makes employees more accountable for their work and workloads, ensures problems are resolved faster, and for both managers and employees, time is freed up.

Saving time means increased output, which could equal a positive impact on the business’s bottom line.

Embracing empowerment – how to deliver a happy staff

True empowerment comes from the individual’s ability to exercise authority within their job role… but only if management gives them this opportunity. This can only come about through significant change, which needs to happen at three levels – the organisational, managerial and individual.

At organisational level

The vision and purpose of the company must be communicated. If managers and individuals don’t understand where the company is going, they will never truly know what they’re working towards. Managers and individuals should also be consulted during the decision-making that affects the way they work. If sweeping changes are made and they were never consulted – how can they ever feel empowered?

At managerial level

Important company information needs to be shared with individuals, autonomy within roles needs to be created, and managers must be prepared to listen, digest what is happening and decide on the next steps. What are the recurring problems? What would help the team be more productive? Working together, determine the tools, resources and processes they have and need in place to overcome the barriers they’re facing.  

At individual level

The employee needs to feel they have the ability to exercise authority within their job role. They need tools in place to deliver their job effectively. Whether that means having a team around them, software that automates part of their job or KPIs to work towards, tools can take many forms.

Why managers have the biggest role to play

When you’re the one that has the day-to-day responsibility of ensuring teams deliver, it falls to you to give them what they need.

And because empowerment isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach, each distinct role is going to require something different. Speaking to your employees is always the best place to start, but there are some things you can do right now to start making a difference… 

Loosen the boundaries

Trust is an important thing. Trust your staff and, little by little, they will grow in skill and confidence. Find what someone does best and let them do it their way. Your success depends on it.

Listen, listen, listen

In some cases, many grassroots staff have more knowledge of day-to-day processes than senior executives. That’s not to say they will have all the skills to solve the problems they bring to you, but they will understand what and why they’re being slowed down

It’s also important to remember that listening also means checking with employees that they’re comfortable with any extra responsibility. If what you’re asking of them doesn’t align with their personal goals, the result could be negative…

Give positive feedback

Everyone likes being told when they’ve done well. And a job well done needs praise. A job done not so well needs constructive feedback too, but remember to allow for mistakes that aren’t crucial. Learn from them. Put things in place to stop them from happening again.

Time and space

Give employees time to experiment and time to learn.

Micromanagement, the polar opposite of workplace empowerment, is nearly always received negatively, even if it’s practised unintentionally. The outcomes for staff working under a manager with this trait are feelings of demotivation, being stifled and a general focus on the wrong priorities. Another perhaps overlooked element of a micromanager is the toll it can take on the health of the manager themselves. Space to breathe is a win-win for all.

Employee empowerment works, so why aren’t we all doing it?

In the fast-moving world of business, the need for quick decisions and actions can easily get in the way of creating an empowered environment for employees, even when managers believe it’s the right thing to do.

It’s not instant, and it may not feel tangible at first. But over time when teams feel empowered, employee output is increased, they feel happier, and morale rises.

If implemented correctly, managers will see increased confidence to complete tasks over time. Any problems will be addressed and likely rectified a lot sooner, allowing projects to move forward at pace. Furthermore, if employees are enabled to solve their own problems, it will allow managers more time for high-level business areas such as strategic thinking.

But even better for an organisation is that a fully empowered staff is more likely to attract the right kind of employee in the first place. Empowered employees radiate competence and happiness, and that’s a fantastic message to send out to new recruits.

Many businesses today recognise the potential of workplace empowerment and its effect on staff motivation, happiness and corporate profits. But to truly be successful, empowerment must be embraced company-wide – at the organisation, manager and individual level. Sometimes we need to work together now in order to achieve more autonomy in the future. There’s definitely no ‘I’ in team, but there sure is power in empowerment.

More than ever we’re looking for that balance between our personal and professional lives. But doesn’t it sometimes feel that success in one means sacrifice in another?

It’s virtually a cliché now to say that employees with a good work-life balance are happier, healthier and more productive. As the tide of modern working practice rolls on, it’s almost a given that business leaders understand the importance of their employees living balanced lives, even if it’s not a working reality.

While free fruit, flexitime and a visiting masseuse would certainly take the edge off a tough week for most of us, if employee perks aren’t accompanied by smart systems and processes that break down everyday barriers, are these benefits really helping to strike that balance? Or do they just serve to pacify the pressures that employees are facing on a longer-term basis? 

What does a balanced life mean in today’s world?

The phrase ‘achieving work-life balance’ is well-worn, yet difficult to materialise. With increased workloads, many employees feel they’re frantically teetering on the career ladder.

Some don’t have the tools to do their job effectively, remember the last time they had lunch somewhere other than their desk or when they last got home in time to put the kids to bed. For some, stability can feel like a distant dream.

Interactions in all aspects of life – friends, family, hobbies and work – help us grow personally and professionally, and stress in one can permeate them all.

Physical, spiritual and emotional development plays an incredibly important role in making us feel more rounded and productive as people. But exercise, meditation and socialising should be embraced for the benefits they bring individually, not solely how they help us escape from workplace stresses that could and should be put right.  

While an employer can’t directly influence these areas outside of work, they can help by allowing staff opportunities to manage all aspects of their life inside of work effectively.

What can employers do to increase productivity and welfare? 

Simplified, the happier and healthier an employee is, the more productive, engaged and loyal they are. Their mental and physical health is better too.

And though work and home can’t always be emotionally separated, there are some simple solutions that can be explored to keep employees as untroubled as possible.

Automation = less burnout

When stress overwhelms a person’s ability to cope, burnout occurs. If the issues causing this can be identified and discussed, there may be opportunities to find a relatively easy solution.

There’s often a double benefit in looking at areas of a role that could be automated. The employee’s day-to-day becomes much more manageable and time starts to free up. The employer benefits from a happier employee who’s more focused on the strategic elements of their role.

Encourage agile working

Another natural outcome of the increased use of technology is flexibility. Web-based tech can allow employees to work from home or on the go. As more companies are adopting the remote-working approach to reduce overheads, those who still have the comfort of central offices could look to introduce a working-from-home policy.

Email is pretty much instant, and video conferencing means teams can be put in touch wherever an office is based. Teams can work better over distances and share projects more easily – and employees love it. Overall it squeezes the most out of the working day without draining the juice from your team.

The perks are important, too!

If your employees are doing a fantastic job, why not show them your appreciation? We spoke briefly about non-financial benefits companies tend to bring in to attract candidates, but they’re also great for retaining existing employees.

Once your internal systems and processes are as complementary to the working day as possible, a perks package can really sweeten the deal. The right balance between the everyday and over-and-above gestures can help employees feel appreciated and even be the catalyst for that all-important work-life balance. It cannot be stressed enough, that without ways for employees to carry out their day-to-day roles effectively, these perks, while attractive, are unlikely to be enough to keep anyone truly satisfied professionally.

Balance? A win-win…

Balance creates happy and engaged employees, promotes good health and maintains physical and mental wellbeing for individuals. Staff stay longer at companies where they feel happier. Churn is reduced, and fewer sick days are taken from burnout.

And it’s not just about front line employees – business leaders also need time to recharge and get their life in balance to remain effective leaders, and of course, lead by example.

You have one life and a group of valuable employees that help strengthen the work you do each day. It’s important to listen and notice the warning signs when the tipping point goes out of balance. There will always be new challenges to face, but as long as there are people willing to find solutions, your workplace – and your workforce – can become unstoppable.