As a business owner or organization’s executive, you have to take your employees’ morale seriously, very seriously. Employee morale is more than just how employees view their job. It also entails whether they feel valued by the organization and how they approach their daily tasks. Employees with high morale are bound to work towards achieving the organization’s stated goals and objectives.
The level of employee morale will also affect employee retention and overall productivity. Having highly motivated employees isn’t something that happens by accident. It requires conscious effort from upper management.
Before trying to increase employee morale, management has to first measure the current level of morale in the organization. This can be achieved by conducting employee morale surveys and including questions that allow employees to express their opinions about their work, level of satisfaction, company culture, and more.
Employee interviews can also be conducted to assess the level of employee morale. But this relies heavily on employees providing honest feedback. If employees don’t feel safe about providing honest feedback, the interviews would be a glorious waste of time and conducting anonymous surveys would be more suitable.
If employee morale is low, below are proven ways to increase them:
1. Incorporate The Company Mission Into Every Aspects Of The Business
Many businesses spend a lot of money to have consultants come up with an enticing mission and vision statement. Then, the mission statement is displayed throughout the office like a souvenir. It’s boldly printed on flyers and sales brochures. And that’s all about the uses of the mission statement.
But mission statements aren’t supposed to be fancy things that make an organization look serious or professional. They are supposed to be sacred words upon which the entire business is built. Mission statements are meant to determine the type of people an organization will hire, the culture in the organization, and where the company is going next.
Employees want more to take a paycheck home each month. They want a sense of belonging and a sense of purpose. They want to be part of something much bigger than themselves.
By incorporating your mission statement in your recruitment strategy, decision making, goal setting, and work culture, employees will feel a sense of purpose and belonging. Morale can rise to astronomic levels, something that can only be of significant benefits to the organization.
2. Recognize And Reward Employees
Perhaps the simplest way to motivate employees is to recognize their efforts and reward them. The reward doesn’t even have to be financially related. An award can go a long way in boosting employee morale to significant levels. Management can hold meetings to brainstorm employee of the month award ideas, employee of the year award ideas, and so on.
As previously mentioned, paycheck isn’t enough to motivate employees. Commend employees on a good job done and reward improvement, even if they seem insignificant. Remember that saying about celebrating small wins? Apply them to your business.
There are different ways to recognize employees. You can decide to take the jovial or comedic route and give items that may not be considered conventional. Talk about giving a rubber chicken instead of a fancy pen. You can also decide to give more personal items like a handwritten note. But whichever reward you choose to go for, deliver it promptly.
3. Organize Development Programs
Effective training and development is another excellent way to boost employee morale. Development programs tell employees that the company is interested in their growth and improving their job knowledge. Training also helps workers better understand the organization’s culture.
Management should take employee training and organization programs very seriously. It shouldn’t be seen as a box to tick or a nagging obligation that must be fulfilled. Instead, it should blend almost effortlessly into employee’s daily tasks and not be an extra burden to them.
4. Prioritize Employees’ Well-being
A good paycheck is a bare minimum an employee expects. But is that all an organization has to offer its employees? Organizations can do more than the bare minimum and offer several top-notch benefits to employees.
These benefits can be discounts on gym memberships, yoga, and activities that increase workers’ health and wellness. You can also offer paid parental leave, community and personal development, second medical opinion for workers and their family members, and so on.
Benefits packages are generally expensive and what you can offer depends on the scale of your business. But not offering them at all can affect employees’ morale down the line and cost the company more money.
Health insurance, paid vacations, and 401ks are standard benefits anyone who has a full-time job expects. But extra benefits, regardless of how small it is, can significantly improve employee morale.