Effective Ways To Boost Employee Morale
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Morale: It's what your employees need to get them out of bed in the morning.
You don't want to see them walking through your doors looking tired, unenthused, and annoyed that they have to work. You don't want to hear they whispered or very public grumblings.
Rather, you want to see them happy, joyous faces of your employees as they come into your workplace. You want to hear words of positivity, thanksgiving, and gratitude. In short, you want your employees to have a high level of morale, as your business will benefit if they do.
When the morale of your employees is high, they should:
Work more productively and efficiently
Pass on their enthusiasm to their colleagues
Be nicer to your customers and clients
Be more likely to stick around for the long-term
Improve your company reputation
Make your business look more attractive to new hires
To consider the effects of low morale, you need only consider the opposite of each of the points above. Productivity might be at an all-time low if your employees are miserable, for example, and the reputation of your business might be at an all-time low too if your employees have been overheard grumbling.
So, do what you can to improve your employees' morale, perhaps by adhering to the following.
#1: Purchase quality items when buying workplace essentials
There will be things your employees need in the workplace, so make room in your budget for them. But when you're shopping around, don't assume cheap will be better. If you buy your team anything that doesn't make the grade, be it a low-level computer or an ill-fitting work uniform, you aren't going to do much to raise employee morale. Rather, they might assume you don't value them very highly if the value of your purchases is low, and they might become frustrated by what you have given them.
So, give your employees some love by putting quality first. If they need a computer, buy something that has the specs needed to help them work more efficiently. If they need a new uniform, buy them something that both looks and feels good, perhaps akin to those sold by Uniform Advantage if you're in the field of healthcare. And for anything else that you buy them, focus on the needs of your employees, even if you have to save up a little to buy something of better quality.
#2: Go green in your business
Going green makes perfect business sense, as the measures you put in place can help you to save money, boost your reputation, and, in the context of this article, improve the morale of your employees. Surveys have shown that employees want to work for sustainable companies, and this is partly because they want to work for an employer that doesn't put into place anything that can damage the environment. A greener company can also make employees feel better about the impact they are having on the world.
So, do what you can to make your business better for the planet. Encourage recycling and energy-saving habits. Commit to greener processes within all aspects of your production and manufacturing. And work with eco-friendly suppliers too.
When you take green steps in your business, your employees will feel happier about working for you. After all, would you want to work for a company that was contributing to the destruction of the planet? We're assuming not!
#3: Make your employees feel appreciated
There is much you can to make sure your employees feel appreciated. A simple thank you for a job well done will often suffice, although you can also reward your hard-working employees with cash bonuses and gifts.
When adding to your website or your company newsletters, you might also name those employees who have contributed to your profits. This is better than taking all the credit for yourself, especially when it is your employees who have put most of the work in.
You could celebrate your employees' birthdays too, buy them the occasional lunch, and treat them to days off when targets have been met. Check out these other employee appreciation ideas, and use them regularly to show your employees how much you value them.
#4: Give your employees a voice
You might be the boss, but that doesn't mean you need to be in control of all of the ideas that can profit your workplace. It might be that your employees have ideas to contribute to, so give them the opportunity to share their thoughts, as you will improve their morale if you do.
And when they come to your door with a question or a concern, listen to what it is they have to say. If you were to dismiss them with little recognition for their thoughts or feelings, you might lower the trust they have in you and reduce their morale.
#5: Allow opportunities for growth
Is there room for promotion in your business? If so, give your employees the opportunity to progress upwards. When they know they have something to aim for, you will give them a greater sense of purpose. This, in itself, is an effective way to boost their morale.
But regardless of promotion possibilities, there are other things you can do to help your employees grow. You could send them on courses or conferences to help them improve their professional skills, and you could give them new challenges at work to boost their level of experience. Such opportunities for growth will boost your employees' morale, as they will feel as if they are progressing within their careers. The alternative is your employees believing that they are in a dead-end job, and that is not something that will increase their morale in any way.
#6: Mind your tongue
Sure, you could rule your business with an iron fist and a critical tongue, but ask yourself: Is this really going to improve employee morale? They are more likely to fear you, and while they might work harder as a consequence, they are unlikely to stick around for long.
So, be a boss that is firm but fair. Don't berate your employees too heavily for any mistakes they make. And don't criticize them when no criticism is due. Instead, be respectful in the way you speak to them. Use words that will lift them up and not put them down. And think before you speak, with the knowledge that your employees are human and not mindless worker drones that cater to your every whim.
#7: Bring fun into the workplace
Okay, so your employees are being paid to do their job, but as the saying goes, 'all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.' It makes Jill a dull girl too, and when Jack and Jill aren't allowed to have a little bit of fun, their productivity might start to fall.
So, do what you can to bring fun into the workplace. You could organize team challenges, buy 'fun' items for the break room, or have times in the day when people are allowed to goof around a little. Check out these other ideas for having fun in the workplace, and implement anything that you think is appropriate. You will bring a smile to your employees' faces if you do, and in so doing, you might well boost both their morale and their productivity.
#8: Don't overwork your employees
As we suggested a little earlier, your employees are not mindless worker drones. They don't have the capacity to work on full battery power at all hours of the day, and they don't have the ability to keep going without any rest! Like you, your employees get tired and weary, so you shouldn't push them beyond their limits. They will start to lose morale if you do overwork them, and they might well fall prey to burnout symptoms too!
So, do what you can to alleviate the workloads of your employees. It might be that you outsource some of what you give them to do, especially those tasks that aren't really befitting of their job descriptions. You could help them to streamline their to-do lists with those apps and pieces of software that can make light work of manual processes. And you could cut down the number of meetings in the day, as your employees would then have more opportunities to get work done before overtime rears its ugly head.
When your employees aren't burdened with massive workloads, and the need to work overtime on too-regular a basis, they should become happier in your employ. They will be physically and mentally healthier too, which is another way of ensuring their morale doesn't drop when they are in your workplace.
Finally
When you boost the morale of your employees, you also boost the chances of success for your business. Happier employees will always work harder and more diligently than those that are unhappy, and for you, that means bigger profits and the chance to grow your business.
So, consider your employees today. Are they happy? If you suspect their morale is low, do whatever you can to increase it, for their sake, as well as your own.