In the challenging and competitive business environment, your employees need to be at their very best. As you walk through the office, look around and what do you see? If it’s a sea of disgruntled and unhappy looking faces then this could be, unfortunately, one of the symptoms of low morale within the workplace. If you choose to ignore this, it can have a disastrous implication on the performance of your business.
Low productivity and minimal communication are just a couple of the side effects that negative morale creates. So, here are ten ways to boost morale in your business.
Be supportive and motivate those who have ambitions
A lot of employees will have ambitions to do things beyond their everyday working life. People often want to volunteer or take part in courses outside of work but, between their hours and everyday life, don’t always have the spare time. As a business, you should be showing support towards things that your employees feel passionate about. Organise or put together a network of volunteer and training projects for each worker.
If you’re looking for ways to motivate your employees consider inviting inspirational and motivational speakers in to talk with your team. They can tell a story to motivate the audience, provide inspirational advice and open their eyes to a whole new world that they’ve never considered.
Play games
Plan team building events in the office. This can feature a range of different icebreakers and skilled activities. Try not to mention the word icebreaker though, as you may hear a collective groan from employees. Have items like a ping pong table or a football table in the office so workers can enjoy a game or two during the day. This can work as a screen break or a way of socialising.
Recognise personal milestones and losses
Appreciate your employees as people rather than just workers. Celebrate their achievements, both in and outside of work (such as birthdays, becoming a parent/grandparent etc) and also build support structures to help employees when they need it the most. Doing this will show you are part of a supportive community.
Open communication
If there is no communication with employees, you’ll be unable to drive your business forward just by wisdom alone. Each employee will specialise in certain roles and have a clear understanding of their specific job title, which needs to be communicated with the whole team so that everyone knows who’s who and what job everybody does. So, encourage everyone to talk. Schedule meetings every so often and gain an insight into what everyone is working on. This will enhance performance and will demonstrate that you value the input of your workers.
Have a vibrant office environment
Employees will become more productive if they enjoy the environment they are working in. You can make subtle adjustments and create an environment that employees will feel inspired and energetic in by using bright colours, comfortable furniture, plants, good lighting and pictures for example.
Celebrate work anniversaries
Work anniversaries are something that should be celebrated. It gives you all the chance to reconnect with one another, have some winding down time and generate and the overall good feeling among one another.
Change up the routine
Morale can often sink when you tend to do the same thing such as coming in at the same time, to the same place and doing the same thing. When it becomes boring you can’t blame anyone for feeling discouraged. Change up the routine in your office, send employees out on business meetings or client lunches. Whatever it is, it doesn’t have to be dramatic, just a slight alteration to the scenery around the office or a rotation to lunch break schedules.
Promote your own
Retaining key talent is one of the key challenges for any company. Even if you need to hire externally, make sure to build career progression plans so you can promote your current employees. Doing so will improve employee relationships, demonstrate that hard work is recognised and rewarded, and above all retain the knowledge and expertise which can help your business grow.
Offer discounts
Common employee benefits packages include the opportunity for discounted products and services. By offering discounts you will build a positive relationship with employees. Consider discounts for things such as gym memberships, technology, childcare or transport. If your business is in partnership with any other organisation, ask them for mutual discounts on services.
Set targets
Everyone needs to feel like they have a purpose in their role and employees benefit from having targets to aim towards. These could be based on time, projects, what percentage of your customers are left with a positive experience or something that is niche to your company. Instead of planning these targets on your own, sit down and work with your team to help them set their own targets. This will give them a way to measure and track their own progress as well as encouraging accountability.
Incorporate these smart yet simple ways to boost morale in your business and you’ll be amazed at the results within your team and the positive impact it will have on your employees.