Employees demonstrate initiative by doing their jobs to the best of their ability without clock watching, and by adding to their job performance and skills without being asked. Enrollment in continuing education courses and volunteering for various roles within the organization are other examples of employee initiative.
Certain companies create an environment which encourages employee initiative.
- At 3M, employees are encouraged to develop new products and may even create their own operations within the corporate structure.
- At Going Places, a British travel agency, employees devised their own performance-related pay scheme.
- An employee at Pinnacle Brands in Texas saved the company $100,000 by taking on work that was previously being outsourced.
