- Employee recognition, employee development opportunities, clear communications, feedback, and health-and-wellness initiatives can all be used to increase employee morale.
- Employee burnout and lack of communication are two common causes of low employee morale.
- Positive employee morale can help increase profitability by 21%. Engaged employees can also make a difference.
Stress, anxiety, uncertainty, and high levels of uncertainty are all around It’s vital for businesses to look into morale-boosting strategies to create and maintain happy employees and a positive culture. There are many strategies that you can use to increase optimism and employee satisfaction if your company is struggling with low morale or burn-out.
How to increase and maintain employee morale
It’s time for your team to make changes if their morale is low. To increase and maintain employee morale, there are several strategies that you can use. These strategies should not be seen as temporary solutions. Instead, incorporate them into your company culture.
We talked to business leaders to find 10 ways to increase and maintain employee morale. Here are their suggestions.
1. Your company values should be reflected in the actions of your employees
Many business owners believe that employees are motivated by free food and gifts. However, Rachel Lanham from Voodle said that the most important thing is to make sure your team aligns with your company’s values and goals. Clear communication is the only way to do this.
You must first clearly communicate the company’s vision, values, and goals. Lanham sent Business News Daily an email. It’s important to communicate this information transparently and continuously, while also sharing the progress (and setbacks), along the way.
Employees who care about the direction of your company are more likely than others to invest in its success.
2. Establish a line of communication
Communication is essential for any company. Employees need to feel comfortable asking questions, participating in meetings, and working with others. Employees should be able to clearly understand what is expected and what they can expect.
Kevin Lee, CEO of JourneyPure said that managers should organize one-on-1 catchups with employees in order to ensure that communication channels are open for employees to voice their concerns or offer suggestions. Provide guidelines for employees and managers so employees can freely discuss personal issues without fear of reprisal.
3. Encourage employees to give feedback
Your company should encourage employee feedback. Open communication with employees can be used to give honest feedback about their performance and solicit input from them on ways the company could improve. This can be done in one-on-one meetings or company-wide surveys.
Edgar Arroyo, president, of JD Taxi, said, “Organize town halls or meetings to update employees about company strategy and plans and invite them to give feedback and have a conversation.” Employee buy-in can lead to new ideas and more investment in the company.
4. From the top, create a culture that encourages positive thinking
Leaders are key to creating a positive and supportive culture. To be successful in the workplace, employees look up to their leaders for guidance. If you set an example and show your leadership, it will result in a positive work environment that will increase employee satisfaction and company morale.
“Positive Thinking Really Starts with the Top Management of a Company,” Monroe Gang, CEO at Atlantic Partners said. If the CEO isn’t positive about his or her company, it will show in the other tiers. It is your job as a leader to be positive in the face of adversity and to serve as a role model for others in all situations, no matter how frustrating or challenging. ”
5. Organise team-building events
Positive morale is directly tied to the feelings of employees about their colleagues. Therefore, it’s important that you host activities that bring people closer. You can organize happy hours and team lunches if your team works in the same office. Remote teams may find it more difficult to organize these events. Remote teams can host virtual happy hours, encouraging employees to video chat and encouraging them to participate in one-on-one meetings.
Ask your team to brainstorm activities that they’d like to do together. You can show your appreciation by celebrating milestones such as birthdays and anniversaries, whether you work remotely or at the office.
6. Build an employee recognition program
Recognize your employees’ hard work and exceptional performance with an employee recognition program. You can make it formal or informal. However, it should give everyone in your company the chance to acknowledge others’ contributions. Employees can feel appreciated and have the chance to recognize their colleagues. This will increase morale.
Arroyo stated, “Set up a recognition program for managers and employees where they can nominate someone to be acknowledged for their accomplishments.” Send emails to publicly thank employees for their performance. For important milestones in a project, you can host celebrations or treat dinners.
7. Offer performance-based incentives
Lee suggests that employees have career options to boost their morale. Lee recommends that you promote internally before looking for external candidates for top positions and that employees have the opportunity to move around based on their skills and interests.
Doing so will encourage employees to work hard and help them develop their skills. If you have the resources, you should offer monetary performance-based incentives such as raises and bonuses to employees. This will encourage employees who work hard to stay with your company, rather than looking for other opportunities that pay more.
8. Mental health of employees should be a top priority
It is crucial to monitor your employees’ mental health during times of stress and anxiety-like the COVID-19 pandemic. Ginger, a mental health provider, found that nearly 70% of employees felt the COVID-19 Pandemic was the most stressful time in their career.
It can be hard for remote workers to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Many remote workers have trouble unplugging from their work and can become burnout. Lanham stated that companies need to be strict about setting boundaries in order to prevent employees from becoming overwhelmed. Lanham said that companies should encourage their employees to take time off even when they don’t have a place to go.
She said, “Demand your team block time off vacation, as well daily time off to have lunch with the family or do an afternoon workout.” Voodle is very strict about you not checking in during vacation. Your team’s most important thing is to honor time off.
Flexible work hours, additional paid time off, and encouragement to take breaks during the day are all ways to promote employee mental health.
9. Establish a program for health and well-being
Your employees’ physical and mental health is crucial to your business’s success. Many office workers are very sedentary, especially when they work remotely. It can be beneficial to have a wellness program to get them moving.
Lee stated, “Have your company set up a wellness program that offers fitness classes and health education classes to help your employees improve their mental and physical health.” A Fitbit or other wearable tracker can be a fun way to increase fitness. Have an office competition to see who has the most steps.
10. Encourage employee development
If your employees don’t see the opportunities for professional growth, employee satisfaction will drop. Encourage employees to accept new responsibilities and allow them to pursue their passions.
Gang stated that a strategy that is often overlooked is to offer professional training courses to employees so they can either improve their existing skills or gain new knowledge that will propel them to a higher position within the company.
Give employees clear paths to advancement within the company. Employees will be more inclined to remain in the organization if they know how they can develop professionally.
The morale of employees is important
For many reasons, employee morale is crucial. Happy employees are more productive and happier. A 2017 Gallup survey found that employees who are engaged in their work increase profitability by 21%, while decreasing absenteeism by 41%, and increasing turnover by 59%.
Remote work is becoming more common and businesses need to pay attention to employee experiences if they are to retain and attract top talent.
Lanham stated that remote work has made it much easier to switch jobs for star talent. Companies that ignore cultural, morale, and alignment issues will soon lose their competitive edge in the knowledge economy. ”
Low company morale can have devastating effects
Poor morale among employees has caused many companies to experience a decline in their operations. You could face long-term issues if your company doesn’t take the necessary steps to fix the problem.
- Loss in income. The financial consequences of low employee morale can be devastating. Low morale among employees can lead to losses of over $350 billion each year, according to Roberts Wesleyan College.
- Reduced productivity. Employees who are unhappy are less likely than others to do their job well. A University of Warwick study found that happy employees are 12% more productive compared to their unhappy coworkers.
- Chronic absenteeism. Employees who feel their supervisors don’t appreciate their hard work could miss more workdays.
- More conflicts at work. If employee morale drops, it is possible for disagreements to be more frequent. Management and employees may have frequent conflicts.
- High turnover rates. Unhappy employees can increase your human resources costs. Increasing turnover rates will require you to spend more money on training and hiring.
- Low talent retention. You will struggle to attract quality employees if your company is not well-respected in the industry.
- Poor brand image. Customers are less likely to stay loyal to companies that don’t treat their employees well.
What causes low employee morale
Low morale can be caused by one or more factors. Low morale can lead to employee dissatisfaction. Is it poor communication, employee burnout, or a lack of career progression opportunities? To find out where the problems are coming from, you need to honestly evaluate the leadership and culture of your company. These are reasons why employee morale may be low in your company.
Employees feel a lack of communication and trust
Low morale can result from employees not feeling like they are able to communicate and receive feedback from their managers. They may feel that they are unable to ask questions or be reprimanded if they don’t understand the company’s goals. No matter what the reason, employees can distrust company leaders if there is ineffective communication or a lack of feedback.
The employees are exhausted
Employee burnout was a common occurrence during the pandemic. Teams quickly moved to remote work, and the lines between work and personal life became blurred. Companies that place more importance on productivity than employee well-being can also experience employee burnout. Employees who feel that their company isn’t concerned about their happiness, long-term professional goals, or company culture are less likely to be satisfied.
Many employees feel that their work is not being noticed
Low employee morale can also be caused by workers feeling that their work is not being appreciated and they aren’t given any incentive to do well.
Arroyo stated that if employees do not receive a performance bonus or a fixed salary, they have no incentive to perform well and may try to work as little as possible. “Motivation can be lost for employees if they aren’t given recognition for their performance or going above and beyond for the company.
Other issues that could contribute to low morale include inconsistency in employee treatment, favoritism, and low performers.
Overqualified employees are those who don’t have clear career options.
These two issues can be either separate or interrelated. If you hire someone who is not qualified for the job, they will likely get bored or frustrated with their work. This could eventually lead to them quitting, increasing your employee turnover rate. Low morale could also occur when employees feel like they are not being promoted or have no career development opportunities.
Leave a comment