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| Boost employee morale in the workplace |
Tips To Instantly Boost Employee Morale
Having high morale is an essential factor that contributes a ton to a business’s success. Employees who aren’t engaged in their work can suffer from detrimental effects, ultimately leading them to resign. To solve this challenge, you must foster a positive and fair company culture that looks after each person.
People would not like to work in a negative atmosphere, so it’s natural to want to be in a place where they treat their employees right.
But how exactly do you do that?
How can you improve and maintain morale?
What methods can you do to create a positive culture as a business owner or Human resource (HR) manager?
The following section discusses simple ways how to boost employee morale instantly.
6 Ways to Boost Employee Morale
- Be available for everyone
One of the things that can negatively impact a business is how the employees view their managers. If the manager is always complaining and demanding, the team’s morale will instantly go down.
Each employee may have their own struggles regarding work. These can be about their salary, benefits, or workload. The key here is to be available to them as much as possible. Encourage them to talk about their issues. Allow them to feel that their opinions matter and their voice is heard.
The more employees feel heard, the more open they are to share their ideas and insights that can improve the business. Regardless of the company policies, operations, or work environment, allowing each person to approach their manager is a great way to improve office culture.
- Be flexible
Being flexible applies to all aspects of the company. However, one topic that may be sensitive for some employees is sharing their work schedule and workload concerns.
There’ll be times when too many tasks are assigned to one person, or they’re unavailable to do a specific assignment. Being flexible in this regard can involve moving deadlines, reassigning tasks, or simply lightening the workload.
If a manager were to force their employees to “get the job done,” they would feel more stress and less support from the company. It’s about understanding and finding solutions that best fit the needs of the employee and the business.
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| Let the team give ideas and input into the projects |
- Engage teams
An essential for any organization team engagement activities are necessary to improve morale. Employees can be so focused on work that they may barely socialize with other team members.
Team engagement allows everyone to let loose and talk about things that aren’t work-related. It follows the concept of work-life balance. If employees have decent time to rest, they can be more motivated when they resume work.
Such activities are not just for socializing or taking a break; they are also there to support the employees. Whether personal or work-related, the team is there to help and offer any assistance if needed.
- Provide recognition
One of the simplest things managers and the HR department can do is to provide recognition to employees who have done a great job. These can come in certificates, plaques, or trophies. There are also other rewards that employees can receive for their hard work. Cash bonuses, extra leaves, or gift cards are great options when rewarding an employee.
Aside from making your employees feel good, you’re also helping your business thrive when you have a strong employee recognition program in place.
You can reap benefits from this practice:
- better relationships with your team members,
- improved performance,
- and more job satisfaction.
According to the OC Tanner report, employees recognized in the last week feel 103% more supported in their roles. Recognition may seem like something you can easily brush off, but it does more for your company than you believe. A great team leader acknowledges good work in real-time.
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| Eliminate racism in the workplace |
- Eliminate racism
Whether your company is big or small, it’s best to have diverse people working together. However, while hiring people from all walks of life is your practice, racism in the workplace can undermine this effort.
Racism can come in many forms, such as discrimination against religion and race through microaggressions. Comments or actions may be indirect and subtle, but they come off as stereotyping or “othering” a minority. A simple question like, “Where are you from?” targeted toward a black individual or a “compliment” on how an Asian employee speaks English well are forms of microaggression.
“It's the surprise factor that makes these comments microaggressions. They reveal stereotypical assumptions that [minorities] must be from some other country or may not be well-educated," said Jonathan Kanter, director of the Center for the Science of Connection.
Racism is a serious issue and something that needs to be addressed before it happens. A priority for managers and HR is to eliminate racism in the workplace immediately. You can include it in the company policies.
- Improve employee retention
A company that can retain employees and looks after them is a crucial aspect of a business's reputation. Regardless of employee classification, if employee retention is high, it shows that you're credible and have an established process. If your company has a low retention rate, it can discourage team members.
Business owners and Human Resources (HR) should provide employees with an adequate salary, work-life balance, growth opportunities, and recognition. These are some essential factors that companies need to account for to improve employee retention.
Foster Positive Vibes and Respect
For any business, it's more than just bringing success to the company. Other things are just as important such as looking out for each employee. A positive culture in the office is a simple way to maintain morale, but getting there requires more work.
Engagement and socialization are just as important as growing your business. Treating everybody fairly, providing support in the workplace, and offering good benefits are primary factors that can instantly boost morale. If the workplace has a positive, fair culture, it'll work wonders in leading your company to more success.
Author: Jeffrey is a writer by profession and an artist at heart. He is currently a content strategist and consultant for Shegerian & Associates and aims to make employee rights information more accessible. When he's not writing, Jeff can be found working on abstract pieces in his art room.