Morale in the Workplace
How to Keep Employee Morale High
Happy employees mean a happy workplace.
Boosting morale amongst employees is so important to a achieve a happy workplace and to ensure that your employees feel that their work is more than just a job. Here, at The Buxton Partnership, we suggest that you do everything within your power to ensure your employees are engaged and motivated as it will almost certainly guarantee increased productivity.
Ask yourself… Do your employees look like they’re really excited about the working day ahead when they come into the office? Or do they look like they’ve had enough?
Strategies to Create an Environment that Employees Can Thrive In –
1. Communication
Management often view their company in a completely different way to their staff. While you look to the long-term e.g. what will the company be doing in 5 years, your staff focus much more on the day to day activities of the company.
Consequently, when a manager or leader feels a change needs to occur there can be resistance from employees as they don’t see the long-term benefits, only the short-term implications for themselves. As a result, communicating strategy and its benefits can be a great way to boost overall office morale.
Do not risk aggravating your employees by leaving them in the dark over major decisions and business activities.
2. Praise
Employees are paid for the work they do, but that doesn’t mean they don’t go above and beyond the call of duty in terms of what they are asked for. As a manager or leader, it should become a daily priority to recognise employee efforts in a way that makes staff feel valued and appreciated. Your labour force is happier when they know their superiors and colleagues pay attention to the hard work they are doing to support your business.
3. Sharing your Ideas
Your employees are one of your biggest assets, they represent your company and brand. It’s best for morale for you not to treat them as if they are redundant. Many employees have great innovative ideas, solutions, and intentions.
When your employees are trusted and empowered by their superiors they are more than capable of making excellent decisions when the times comes. In order to increase employee and office morale be open to hearing their thoughts and ideas and then put the good ones into place.
We help to achieve this by holding weekly team meetings, where the whole team can share and cultivate ideas to drive the business forward.
4. Promotion
Many employees won’t just accept being in the same role for the remainder of their career. Noticing your employees work rate and dedication to their current role is paramount, and this could be something they could bring to a higher position if they are fully qualified and given the chance.
Whenever possible promote employees internally as this shows an exceptional amount of appreciation for your current workforce. Doing it this way, your staff will already know and respect their new superior, and fingers crossed, they may even work harder for that person.
5. Incentivise Your Staff
Undertaking a 9-5 job can be difficult. It can often be ‘all takin’ and no givin’, according to Dolly Parton’s hit single ‘9 to 5’. Whether you offer staff an extra day off for their hard work, support them in gaining extra qualifications, playing music in the office or dress-down Fridays. All of these are great incentives that can boost morale.
The greater amount of incentives you offer, the stronger office morale will be. Employees will then work even harder to receive additional benefits and appraisal.
6. Surveying Your Employees
You can almost guarantee as a manager or leader that some employees will have a few grievances and distresses. However, by regularly asking or surveying employees these could be minimised, resulting in a more comfortable working environment that provides a conduit for employees to be even more productive.
7. Make Sure Your Employees Know Your Company’s Core Values
Your mission statement and values should be embodied in every business decision and activity you partake in, otherwise you’re not standing by the set of beliefs that provide the foundations for your business.
Core values are not just an arrangement of words to deceive customers and staff. They should be prevalent and permeate right through the company. This way all staff will have them in mind when working, meaning these values will resonate and become commonplace within the entire business culture and in customers.
Display your core values in a prominent position within your office. You’ll be amazed to see at how core values can take on a life of their own inside your organisation if you’re successful in promoting them.
Treat employees like they make a difference and they will.
