My upper manager always goes on about "empowerment" being part of the new direction for the business, but wouldn't you know, we still get drawn and quartered for the smallest errors.

It would be one thing if employment were “optional” to some degree, or there were always more jobs than people to do them, but so many people are one missed paycheck or medical emergency away from homelessness, you basically have no choice but to grin and bear it.

Well, it is "optional" to some degree. I know plenty of people across Europe who are doing oke enough on basic support. It's not an amazing living but it's not like you are out on the streets. And a medical emergency will not cripple you with debt.
At least far as actually freedom-loving democracies go (as in, free to abort, free to express your identity, free to protest, ...).

There are solutions to level the playing field like unions or European works councils https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Works_council . but it's still top down in the end. Always seemed strange to me, perhaps it's the way to get things done...