5 Tips for Boosting Employee Morale + Why It’s Important Now More than Ever
We are only halfway through the year and man does it feel like a decade. We as people (and as companies) have been hit with curveball after curveball. Companies have become even more dependent on employees to be motivated and productive through these difficult times, sometimes causing employee morale to drop. When times are tough and stressful, employees feel it — and sometimes their work will suffer. Employee morale is extremely important to a company’s culture and success. Studies show that a high performing company culture increases revenue by four times.
Reasons employee morale is important:
-Less absenteeism
-More creativity
-More productivity
-Increased teamwork
-Improved office relationships
Employee morale refers to the overall outlook, attitude, satisfaction, and confidence that employees experience at work. Basically this means that employees with high morale are happier and more productive. Happier employees means happier results for the company as a whole. It’s a win-win.
Low employee morale isn’t always a result of a negative office environment but usually a result of an unexpected and dramatic change. COVID-19 is a great (well, not so great) example of a cause for downturn in employee morale. A majority of companies had to quickly turn their team into a fully-remote one. What made the situation more difficult was that there was no clear timeline for when work would return back to normal. This uncertainty has caused employee morale to drop dramatically, leaving many companies clueless of what to do.
It’s important to tackle low-employee morale as soon as you notice it or even before you do. It can sometimes seem like a daunting task (especially when your whole team is working remote), but it is so beneficial for the future of your company. Some ways to improve employee morale include:
-Communication: It is crucial to constantly communicate with your employees about positive company achievements as well as issues that are important to them.
-Employee feedback: It is so important to hear from your employees on their experience. As a business owner or manager, you may be so caught up in work at times that you may not notice employee morale dropping. Hearing first-hand from your employees is the easiest way to let them know you are listening and that they are heard.
-Team-building activities: Having your company employees or team participate in team-building activities will build stronger relationships between everyone. This is so important in employee morale because stronger relationships means better teamwork.
-Encourage breaks: Allowing and encouraging your employees to take breaks helps make a productive team. If employees take a small five minute break every hour, it can make them happier, refreshed, and able to contribute more.
-Have fun: Fun? At work? YES. This one seems pretty obvious on how it plays an important role in boosting employee morale. This could include a fun happy hour with live music, surprising your employees with an illusionist, or even a team-bonding wellness session…all of which could be done virtually as well. Seriously, the list is endless for ways to create fun experiences with your employees.
It boils down to the fact that your employees want to feel appreciated and enjoy their work environment whether it’s in the office or remote. 69% of employees said that they would work harder if they were better appreciated by their company. Employees are more than likely feeling stressed and overwhelmed with all that 2020 has thrown at them. By taking extra steps to ensure your employees morale remains high, you will benefit in seeing improved company results as well as improved mental health and happiness for your employees. Let’s make the second half of 2020 a better and more productive one, starting with prioritizing employee morale!
