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Employee morale can suffer for several reasons. Sometimes it’s the time of year, sometimes it can happen because of a bad patch in the business. Sometimes it can be unexplained.
However, the consequences of low office morale include poor productivity, disagreements amongst coworkers, as well as a generally unpleasant atmosphere.
Creating a happy work environment is important for your business – it can be difficult to reach your goals if you haven’t got the full backing of your employees. Taking steps to boost employee morale will benefit your business, promoting positive change that will help your business to become bigger and than ever.
Help employees to see the value in their work
Contrary to popular belief, money isn’t the only motivator for people to show up for work. Having a purpose, and feeling like they’re contributing, can help employees feel like they’re doing more than just a job. Some simple things you can do to help employees feel valued include recognising their contribution to the company, giving them more responsibility as well as treating everyone as an individual. When an employee sees how they contribute to the overall aims of the business, they’ll find more value in their work.
Celebrate achievements
Your business can move so fast that it’s hard to remember to reflect on past achievements while looking ahead to the future. It is important, however, to take a step back and reflect on the achievements of your employees. They work hard to meet targets, deadlines and to produce good work – which deserves to be rewarded. Recognising your employees for a job well done helps to motivate them to continue to do their best work, moving onto bigger and better things. Even the smallest acknowledgements can make a big difference.
Invest in them
What’s one of the most valuable ways you can invest your profits? Invest it back into your employees. By giving the resources they need, as well as helping them experience ways to develop their skills, you’re showing that you value their place in the company and want them to continue. Remember that there you may be able to benefit from a research and development tax incentive, which can provide you with the means to invest in your employees’ growth. Training programmes, shadowing schemes and funding their continued education can all help your employees to enhance their abilities, which can deliver positive results for your business too.
Let them enjoy their passions
All work and no play makes… And for many workers, that’s what a job can feel like. Employees are often too tired after long days at work to pursue their interests afterward, but why not help them to do so? Many employers offer their staff time to pursue their passion projects, and find a way to link them back to their work. In the same vein, you might want to consider introducing a volunteer project to your staff, helping them work together and become passionate about something and helping others at the same time.
Make your business more sociable
Part of the reasons that tensions might exist between employees is that they don’t really know much about each other outside of work. While ‘organised fun’ can feel forced, but they can be a good way for your employees to interact with each other outside of the office and have some fun. Make your next work outing unforgettable and bring your employees closer together. Why not celebrate the end of a busy period with some kind of work outing to increase morale and thank everyone for a job well done?
Be supportive
Employees can deal with all sorts of issues in their work and personal lives, and having a supportive employer behind them can help to boost morale. Being able to provide employees with support services, such as counselling, financial advice, etc. can help employees to feel secure and supported in their roles. From an employer’s perspective, support services can reduce absenteeism, reduction in turnover and more. Let staff know that there’s help available to them and work to bring the right initiatives into the workplace.
Improve your communication
Communication is something that should be at the heart of your business. It’s important that staff know what’s going on. When there are crises afoot, it’s better to keep employees in the loop than having them speculate and gossip. There are always ways to improve communication in the workplace that can make for a much happier place to work.
Encourage through incentives
Incentives can be a good way to motivate employees, and can provide them with benefits that are more than just a salary at the end of the month. You can get some inspiration from some of the best employee incentive schemes, which include stellar examples from Airbnb, Netflix, and others. While your business might not have the budget to match these sorts of benefits, there are still things you can offer which can boost employee morale.
Boostflexible working
Employee health and fitness is important. Not only will it ensure that there are less sick days taken, but it can also encourage a positive attitude. Some things you can do to help boost the health and fitness of your employees include:
- Offering corporate discounts on gym memberships (or even build an on-site gym).
- On-site fitness and wellbeing classes such as yoga.
- Provide healthy snacks and fruit in common areas.
- Encourage good hygiene practices around desks and communal areas.
- Provide breakout spaces to give employees headspace away from their desks.
- Encourage employees to go outdoors during their lunch break to help them boost their vitamin D intake.
Change the layout of your office
Open-plan offices can be a good way to shake up your workplace and encourage better collaboration amongst employees. Many new, modern businesses adopt an open-plan way of working to help foster a creative environment and bring colleagues closer together. There are several advantages and disadvantages associated with open-plan offices, so you’ll want to make sure that this office layout is suitable for your company.
Introduce flexible working
Flexible working is greatly received in many countries, and it’s fast becoming something that job seekers look for when choosing somewhere to work. In terms of morale-boosting, flexible working gives employees the opportunity to fit their working hours in around their other commitments, such as their families, while also factoring in commuting times. Flexible working allows employees to work from home easier, as well as choose their own start and finish times, and can easily be managed with the right policies in place.
Listen
How often do you ask your employees for their feedback? This could be the key to helping to boost their morale in the workplace. From asking their opinions on projects to providing plenty of two-way communication opportunities, employees who are heard will feel much more valued in their roles. You can get some great ideas by opening up the discussion to all of your employees, so don’t be afraid to loop them in when it comes to your business’ ongoing work.
Boosting morale in the workplace is no easy task, and isn’t something to be taken lightly. Identify which methods and ideas could work in your place and help give your employees the boost they need. Happy employees are more likely to stay within a company and will work harder to achieve its aims, so set about creating a positive work environment where people feel safe and respected. Boosting morale can take time, but it’s a positive step in the right direction for your business.
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