Are they happy to be
there, or do they have bored looks on their faces? A person who appreciates his
or her job and who wants to be there leads to a high rate of concentration,
cooperation, productivity, and low turnover. Bottom line? When you’ve got happy
people in the office, that’s good for business. So, what are 5 simple ways to
boost employee morale?
1. Publicly Appreciate the People Who Work for You
People like to be appreciated. They don’t want to feel like just a number in
the crowd. Therefore, acknowledging workers accomplishments lets a worker know
that not only does your company notice what he or she is doing but you want to
let the public know. Private recognition is good. But acknowledging people
publicly is not only great for a person’s ego, but it creates positive peer
pressure for other folks to achieve the same. Everyone wants to feel like a
“star,” and finding creative but positive ways of recognizing accomplishments
is a good way to instill a “star” feeling in a person. One way to do that is
through social media. There are billions of people around the globe on social
media. When a company acknowledges an employee on social media, they are
announcing the excellent job they’ve done to the world. It also shows the
public that you care about the people in your company, which creates a positive
feeling about your company.
2. Listen to the People Who Work for You
In addition to recognizing the people who work for you, another excellent
morale booster is when you let your people know that you’re listening.
Autocratic leadership where you are the ruler who makes all the decisions may
work with regard to keeping a business running, but it rarely does much for
company morale or for reducing company turnover. One of the benefits of a more
democratic approach to your business is letting your workers know that they
have an impact on the direction and success of your company and therefore, that
they are valued. Furthermore, by listening to the people who work for you, they
will often come up with ideas that you and other bosses may not have
considered.
3. Create Office Perks
Rewarding the people who work for you with perks for a job well done is another
excellent way to instill positive feelings in the company culture. The
traditional way to reward a person in a company is with a raise and with
bonuses. These conventional ways are good and much appreciate, but consider
other, additional ways to reward. For example, if the company has the funds,
renting out an entire amusement park for either the whole company for doing a
good job or for a group of folks who hit a high goal is a fun way to reward
employees and give them a chance to bring along family members for the
celebration. Another way to recognize achievements is with all-expenses-paid
company trips. For smaller companies that may not have such extravagant
finances, paying for a class that a person has always wanted to take, but that
will also benefit the company, is one idea.
Even simple things like a “rotating trophy” can help boost company and employee morale. A rotating trophy is a form of corporate recognition and acknowledgement that is presented to a new employee each month. The trophy can be presented for many reasons: sales, customer service, going above and beyond, and more. It’s up to you and your management team to get creative and decide why the trophy is presented each and every month.
There have been numerous studies on the relationship between gratitude and work engagement. Consider this study reported by Harvard Medical School and done by researchers at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania:
“Researchers randomly divided university fund-raisers into two groups. One group made phone calls to solicit alumni donations in the same way they always had. The second group—assigned to work on a different day—received a pep talk from the director of annual giving, who told the fund-raisers she was grateful for their efforts. During the following week, the university employees who heard her message of gratitude made 50% more fund-raising calls than those who did not.”
4. Encourage Company Sponsored Volunteer Opportunities
More and more companies are recognizing the value of volunteering for the
community. Not only does volunteering boost morale within the company, but it
also creates a selfless way to give back to a community. When members of a
company volunteer together at places like homeless shelters, food pantries,
hospitals, retirement homes, etc., it’s a group activity that leaves one
feeling good, and it also shows a community that a company cares about
them.
5. Let Your Hair Down and Have Fun
A fun company culture is not just all work and no play. If a company is
successfully meeting its goals, there should be room for some fun along the
way. Company sponsored parties, theater events, restaurant outings, museum
outings, etc., are excellent ways to have fun with fellow associates.
There are many ways to boost company morale, and these are just five examples.
A company that puts a positive focus on the people who make up its workforce is
much more likely to have happy employees.