In today’s era, entrepreneurs do not require a fleet of the workforce to conduct business operations swiftly. We have long outlived that era, thanks to technological advancements. However, despite the ever-increasing footprint of specialized tools such as artificial intelligence, IoT (Internet of Things), augmented, and virtual reality, employees continue to be the most significant asset.
And you cannot think of taking your company to the next level if your workers show up at the office wholly deprived of passion. That is precisely why lifting employee morale is instrumental. It is a well-documented fact that organizations with the luxury of higher employee morale milk greater productivity levels. Contrary to what most business owners would like to assume, jacking up employee morale is not necessarily a tough nut to crack. It is all about using the right tactics.
However, the internet offers a wealth of methods that could be utilized to boost employee morale. In all likelihood, you may find them overwhelming and end up getting more confused rather than finding a clear roadmap to solve the issue. Well, you do not have to worry about overcoming these workplace challenges all by yourself. Our experts dived into the vast universe of the internet and came up with the following eight ways:
- Acknowledge employee for their accomplishments
When someone is doing a great job, acknowledge them. It is quite simple, and it works well too. Whatever the message, the most vital point is that workers should realize that their hard work had been noticed and praised. If employees carry out their tasks with zeal and dedication, it will increase performance and productivity. Therefore, motivate and encourage your employees and their capabilities. Push your staff and utilize their talent to your benefit. You can provide intrinsic motivation through either simple words of appreciation or extrinsic motivation by reward systems. Set up a monthly or semi-annual performance-based reward system to encourage productivity. For this, you can even utilize award plaques and honor those who performed well to motivate them.
2. Promote work-life balance
When employees go through the burnout phase, their performance declines. Well, you can motivate workers to buckle up by threats of slashing their salary. Of course, you should not encourage an employee when he is not on top of his performance. However, there are innumerous ways to overcome this problem to ensure long-term bonding. One way to tackle the issue is to provide much-needed rest to employees when they cannot deliver their one hundred percent. Ask them to stay home and come back when they feel better.
3. Ask your managers to become friendly mentors
Good company managers don’t just force employees for high performance. They always value helping employees and seek opportunities to utilize their talents. Not only does this tap into a deeper, more unique kind of motivation for employees, but it also helps managers increase the strength and capability of their teams.
4. Provide incentives to your employees
If you want to motivate people to work hard, you need to reward them for an excellent job. One of the critical reasons workers want to switch jobs is that they struggle to find a fair salary. Besides offering them better pay, you might even give them several benefits. Medical insurance is another reason that people stick to their existing employers.
Nowadays, most workers are aiming to advance their careers. It would also be beneficial to provide your employees with training and growth to deter them from leaving your company. It can encourage employees to perform better at the workplace while also being valued by the company.
5. Frequently communicate with the employee
An effective way to boost employee morale is through communication that is to be clear and transparent. If there is a new plan to be introduced or an upcoming improvement in company processes, let employees know about it in advance. A culture of transparency encourages workers to contribute to positive change; this increases the employees’ morale.
Employees should be given an environment where they can share anything with their bosses—even bad news. Be straightforward and honest about what you want from them.
6. Incorporate fun at the workplace
Incorporate some fun at the workplace or have extracurricular activities every week. Such activities lead people to step beyond their comfort zones, add to each other’s success, and work together. Keeping the office fun means that workers are ready to get into their workplaces. Pleasurable activities such as potluck contests, picnics, and film premieres don’t cost a lot. But, they offer immeasurable employee bonding and camaraderie.
7. Offer the workers empowerment of their jobs
When so much seems beyond our reach, a sense of empowerment is a tremendous boost to one’s sense of achievement and importance. You can build this effectively by deliberately assigning assignments to individual workers (instead of departments or team leaders). And encourage them to do work, report back, and share results with you and the team as a whole. It flattens the typical bureaucratic workflow but indeed allows workers to invest more in their jobs.
8. Give constructive feedback
An effective team works efficiently only when they are aware of their strengths and weaknesses. Company managers who know how to deliver negative criticism on a subtle note keep their team members ‘ morale high. For such situations, it is best to have the employee come to the manager’s room and receive feedback instead of in front of everyone. Additionally, discourage uncivil behavior in the workplace from not only the middle but top management as well. Providing constructive criticism can elicit good results, but the way employees receive them matters a lot.
Conclusion
Everybody loves the idea of success, but if there is no foundational work, then the pyramid of success might as well fall apart. Studies have shown that employee morale is directly related to efficiency. Low morale leads to poor teamwork, low efficiency, and lower turnover. On the other hand, high morale leads to satisfied workers. This satisfaction leads to higher performance and a better organizational culture over time.