Effective Ways to Increase Your Employees’ Morale
by Mashum Mollah Management Published on: 12 July 2017 Last Updated on: 24 September 2024
As a business owner and/or manager, one of your priorities should be looking after your employees’ morale. Your employees are the lifeblood of your organization or company, and if their morale is low, this can translate into low returns or poor customer satisfaction with your services or products. In addition, you don’t want to run a company wherein a great number of the people working there are not happy with their jobs.
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Happy employees mean a happy working environment, high satisfaction ratings, and good returns. But it’s not always so simple to achieve this. When it comes to increasing employee morale, there is no one-size-fits-all method. It is important to consider the kinds of people your employees are and what their specific needs are. For some ideas on the kind of approach you should apply in your company, here are some tried-and-tested strategies that have worked for other companies in general:
Celebrate company milestones together
Make your employees feel like they are a crucial part of the company by celebrating the company’s milestones with them. It doesn’t need to be a major event like a company anniversary; sometimes the celebration can be about reaching a usual benchmark like your company finishing a project or meeting its monthly numbers. Take this opportunity to take your employees out to dinner or organize a small party in the office so they can have a chance to relax and build their bonds with each other.
Be careful with choosing your clients and projects
Even if you treat your employees well, there may also be instances when they’re negatively affected by external factors, such as when they’re dealing with customers or clients that are frustrating or difficult to handle. This is why it’s important that when you’re assigning projects or clients to your employees, you consider their personalities and particular skill sets. For instance, some people might be better at facing and entertaining clients, while others are more comfortable doing behind-the-scenes work. When people work at things they’re good at, this makes them feel happier and more enthusiastic about their job.
Help them grow as persons
A mentoring program can bring about exceptional results in employees. At the same time, it also proves to your workers or staff how invested you are in their well-being and personal growth. You can employ professional life coaches, who will talk to them and provide personal action plans for each of them. On your part, as the employer, you will need to empower your workers with the necessary support and resources they need to achieve the specific goals they stated in their action plans.
Help them to give back to the community
Many companies today include corporate social responsibility in their programs for the reason that this gives their organizations a better image in the business world and strengthens their brand. It appears that there is another advantage to CSR: it increases morale. It makes employees feel that they’re doing something meaningful when they’re allowed to give back to the community through their resources and talents. CSR programs also give your employees a chance to bond and build camaraderie.
Find ways to ease their stress
Your team deals with work-related stress on a daily basis, so it’s a good idea to show them that you appreciate their hard work by easing their stress. You need not go all out though; you can do so easily and in an inexpensive manner. For instance, a simple thing like having unlimited coffee served in disposable coffee cups with lids can already lift the spirits of your employees who like to have their daily caffeine fix.
Ultimately, increasing employee morale is all about making your employees feel that they are heard and that their needs are considered. And don’t forget: when they’re happy, it bodes well for your customers and your business in general.
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