Employee morale is a key indicator of your organization’s health.
The motivation and engagement of your employees is the foundation of your success, so nothing is more important than making them feel good. Continuous monitoring of employee morale through established feedback channels is an important part of good management in today’s business environment.
What if the feedback you get isn’t good? As they say, knowledge is half the battle. The other half, of course, takes action.
Below are six things you can do to improve your mood.
Prioritize your employees’ work and family life.
Employees who feel their work is taking over their lives are more likely to be unhappy, but less likely to complain to their boss for fear of appearing busy.
So the first cause of low morale you should look for is your employees’ work-life balance. Are your employees sending emails 24/7 and working late hours showing signs of being overwhelmed? Who needs flexible hours? Is telecommuting an option for some or all? Put yourself in your employees’ shoes and consider whether their lives are too busy for their own good.
Then make changes to adjust the balance.
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Develop mutual trust.
Employees feel valued when they trust their leaders and feel they are trusted by their leaders.
This is not a sure chance: mutual trust must be developed as part of the corporate culture. Create an atmosphere of transparency by showing how important decisions are made to manage trusts and the standards used to determine the policies that affect them. So show them that you trust them by believing in them. Tend not to look over your shoulder as long as they do their job well and on time.
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Build proactive relationships with your employees.
Some managers may feel that simply saying “my door is always open” is enough to make their employees feel that their voice is being heard. But think of it as the bare minimum: a baseline.
Find ways to build rapport with your executives by making sure you always come to them with questions and concerns and build a deep sense of connection and trust. There are many ways to do this, some formal, some informal. However you do it, the goal is to catch developing problems before someone knocks on the always-open door.
Support employee participation in the workplace culture.
Employees who are actively involved in shaping their workplace feel more connected to the company, involved in their work and work.
One way to capitalize on this progress is to encourage and support people-led initiatives. These can take many forms, from brown lunch box presentations to ongoing fundraisers for charities and foreign language clubs. Allowing employees to participate in employee-led initiatives during work hours highlights the value of these efforts to make the workplace more rewarding for everyone.
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Learn and pay more people.
People like to be appreciated and recognized for their hard work. In fact, some studies show that rewards, praise, and non-monetary rewards motivate employees more than raises and bonuses.
Of course, raises and bonuses can help boost morale, especially when managers feel underpaid.
Whatever combination of recognition and reward you choose to boost your mood, treat it with an air of joy and generosity.
Ignore the small signs.
This can come in the form of SWAG, non-monetary recognition or educational resources. You will be pleasantly surprised when small signs exceed expectations.
It could be an employee of the month topic, a book sharing, or a two-hour meditation or mindfulness activity. Something as small as a handwritten thank you note for a job well done can go a long way toward building a healthy company culture.
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These six tips are just the beginning to ensure you have a motivated, committed and engaged team that delivers productivity, profitability and superior customer service.
Contributed by Marc L. Goldberg, SCORE Cape Cod and Islands Certified Counselor. www.score.org/capecod, [email protected], 508-775-4884. Source: ASK SCORE, 2021-2022. www.score.org, 5 Proven Ways to Boost Employee Morale, Aller Zulki, 03/17/22, Slack Technologies, Salesforce Company.
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This article originally appeared in The Cape Cod Times: Six steps to improve employee morale and business success
