This document discusses empowering frontline employees and the challenges that come with it. It defines empowerment as "granting power, right, or authority to perform acts or duties" with autonomy, purpose and choice. It argues that for empowerment to work rules need clear purpose, intelligent enforcement, positive peer pressure, and employee input. Frontline managers can empower employees but sometimes don't due to self-preservation, fear or wanting to hoard information and power. For empowerment to stick managers must provide feedback, coach through mistakes, and recognize employees, while leaders must provide training, technology, rewards budgets, tools and access to data. Overall empowerment requires sharing information between all levels.

1. FRONTLINE
EMPOWERMENT -
IS IT WORTH THE
RISK?
Robin Schooling
Virtual CUE Conference
Spring 2021

2. I’m a...
• HR and Talent Advisor | consultant
• HR blogger | podcaster at #DTHR
• dog-mom-of-3
• cocktail devotee
• binge-reader (not binge-watcher)
Mr. Crumples
(the middle child)

5. Battle for Work Technology
The Powers That Be: 1
Frontline Team: Zero

6. HQ Leaders
Frontline Workers
Frontline Managers

7. Communication Gap
Empowerment Gap
Culture Gap

8. Frontline Empowerment:
overcoming challenges that are unique
to the day-to-day experiences of
frontline employees

9. Empowerment:
“the granting of the power,
right, or authority to
perform various acts
or duties”
autonomy
purpose
choice

11. Rules and Standards
• Purpose: Employees have a clear sense of purpose—and how the
standard fits into it.
• Enforce intelligently: Keep things visual, train, and reinforce.
• Peer pressure: Positive peer pressure is a must.
• Input: Employees are able to have a say in the refinements, changes,
and even possible future abolition of the standard.
Via Micah Solomon

12. • Purpose
• Enforce intelligently
• Peer pressure
• Input

13. the frontline manager

14. Why do they ...?
• Self-preservation
• Fear
• “Othering”
• Hoarding of...
• Information
• Power

15. the frontline manager

17. Let Me
Ask My
Boss

18. Empowerment is NOT........

19. Rewards and Recognition

20. MAKING IT STICK
The Role of Frontline Managers
• Feedback
• Coach and mentor through mistakes
• Recognition
• Meaningful Rewards
The Role of HQ Leaders
• Training time, tech and resources
• Allocate $$$ for rewards budget
• Provide tools and equipment
• Provide access to data

21. Critical: share information and data

22. frontline managers leaders
frontline employees

24. robinschooling.com robin@peridsugroup.com