One of the most important assets in a business is a positive workplace morale.
There is more to going to work and performing your tasks. Having a sense of job satisfaction and pride in what you do is just as important to many people as the money they earn.
Workplace morale is comprised of the attitude and mindset all employees have while at work. It’s worth remembering that workplace morale relies on a collective thinking and that one disgruntled staff member can affect the overall work environment.
Knowing what issues are affecting the morale in the workplace is crucial to bringing about a positive change.
The key elements to consider
There are several different elements that can impact workplace morale.
These include:
- Job satisfaction
- Sense of belonging
- Teamwork
- Incentives
- Workload
All of these can have serious implications for individual employees and the whole team of staff.
Without a sense of job satisfaction, it can be easy for the default of a staff member to do the bare minimum and simply ‘go through the motions’. This is almost always leads to a substandard performance and outcome. In more serious cases, it can be severely detrimental to the business, the products you make and the clients you are servicing.
Teamwork and a sense of belonging can go hand in hand. A strong team and team effort increases productivity, efficiency and the pride in the work being performed.
If the team is fractured and disjointed, then feelings of resentment and complacency can arise. If certain people feel excluded from the team or that they don’t belong at the workplace, you are more likely to see staff turnover or uncover issues of bullying and discrimination.
A realistic workload is both practical and enriching to an employee. Being overworked causes stress as well as mental and emotional strain. If this continues beyond the short term, the likelihood is that employees will need to take stress or sick leave. In some cases, those staff members could quit altogether and the time and effort in the search for an appropriate replacement begins.
Ways to help boost staff morale
To improve the morale of staff and reap the rewards of an engaged and enthusiastic team, you can choose from a number of different steps.
One is to encourage a high performance culture that brings the makings of a high performance team.
This means knowing how to change the culture within the workplace and addressing any underlying issues that are obstacles to a better work culture.
The ability to reward staff for a job well done is important. Offering time off in-lieu without the employee needing to take any leave can give them a well-earned break.
A salary bonus is another way to reward your workers. However, it is crucial that the bonus is justified, and that the employee knows why they are being rewarded.
A common mistake that some employers make is ‘playing favourites’ and not rewarding the whole team or the person who actually put in all the hard work.
Jealousy and favouritism are common issues that can negatively impact staff morale.
Making your staff feel special
It doesn’t take much for employees to feel worthwhile and appreciated.
For example, the simple act of rewarding staff with a free supply of muffins, pastries and fruit can bring a positive vibe to the workplace.
You could also organise a special celebration or party for the completion of a successful project.
This could be an impromptu event where staff are treated to a special lunch or outing such as a movie, concert or even a party.
A work party doesn’t need to be standing around the office somewhere or sitting around the boardroom table. You could add a fun element to the party like giving it a Halloween theme and offering special Halloween contact lenses for employees to wear.
If coloured contact lenses might not be for your particular team, you could make things simple and have a Xmas in July occasion or a games & quiz party.
There are many ideas online that you can adapt to suit your own workforce.
Staff gifts and appreciation
An easy way to thank staff for their work and boost morale is to offer staff gifts that suit the employee’s personality and interests. This can show that you know and recognise that staff member for who they are and not just their role in the business.
If someone was a connoisseur of fine wine or specialty foods, you might present them with a quality wine cooler or picnic hamper.
There are even niche items like cheese boards, confectionery, items relating to special interests such as the best non-Cuban cigars or a top of the range boveda.
If you know something special about the individual, then you have a better chance of making that individual feel special.
Rewarding staff can also be the basic effort of thanking them for their work in person and checking in to remind them that they are appreciated.
Engagement in the workplace
There is ample evidence that an improved morale in the workplace increases productivity and has benefits beyond the obvious work outcomes.
Often there is a significant decline in sick leave, staff turnover, workplace accidents and more engagement both within the team and with clients.
The collaboration of employees is crucial to effective workflow and positive staff morale is infectious.
Just as constantly complaining and bad-mouthing other staff and the business is a sure way to start a toxic culture, having staff share their successes and genuine satisfaction is contagious.
This can also lead to the additional benefits of staff being able to share their new ideas and suggest possible improvements. With a positive and enthusiastic vibe in the workplace, the team may find ways to tackle problems that were deemed too difficult or were the cause of frustration.
It’s easy to see how quickly a business can gain from developing and implementing different ways to increase workplace morale.
It might be just the impetus to turn your workplace into one which can utilise the qualities and abilities of its staff and become a winning team.