10 Tips to Boost Employee Morale

Do your employees drag themselves into work? When you ask them to stay back for a meeting or complete an additional task, do they immediately jump into action, object or reluctantly agree. When employees don’t feel appreciated, they will not go the extra mile. The clock is at the uppermost part of their minds.

Use these 10 tips to help improve employee morale and boost productivity:

• Connect with staff- As a leader you should be seen. Be visible. Make your presence felt. Don’t just lock yourself in your office whole day and only communicate with staff when you want something done. It would be good to walk around on mornings to greet staff, then during the day, take quick walks through the office. Send motivational quotes, positive insights, etc. Get to know your employees. Find out about their interests. When next you meet them remember what you discussed, they would be appreciate how you were attentive.

• Show that you sincerely care about their well being. I can’t emphasize this point enough. If a staff member is on extended sick leave or loses a family member. Just pick up the phone and call them. Be genuinely sympathetic. Send a card or flowers. If one of your employees passes away, try to attend the funeral service, don’t just focus on getting a replacement. Staff won't forget this type of behaviour. I had a supervisor who had poor people skills, her sole fixation was on results, sadly though when she retired none of the staff wanted to speak when the floor was opened. It was a very short retirement programme.

• Be Fair and Neutral. We know too well about office politics and favouritism. It’s really sad when employees can tell who will be getting the next promotion because of their close relationship with the manager. Furthermore, don’t hold personal grudges, don’t send angry e-mails, swear, lose your temper or ignore your staff, especially in front of other employees. Gave constructive feedback rather than criticize. Treat everyone with respect.

• Advocate for your staff. Exhibit loyalty to your employees. In some cases, if a complaint is made against an employee, the manager is quick to jump in and suddenly all the good the employee has done is cast into the sea of forgetfulness. Don’t be the judge, jury and executioner. When your people are facing difficult challenges and morale is sinking, be the ultimate leader and take the bullet for your team.

• Employee Empowerment - Micro managing, breathing down someone's neck all the time can be very disheartening. Sometimes knowing when to step back and let your employees do their work is what they need. Encourage your workers to come up with ideas. Give them responsibility. Let the lead a project. Delegate and assign tasks. Recognize the different type of employees; Some may rely on this style to effectively perform but most will loathe it.

Managers light a fire under people; Leaders light a fire in people. Management Consultant Kathy Austin

• Open and Honest two way Communication. Keep employees informed. Don’t let them have to be hear of upcoming changes through the grapevine. Make sure top management is available and engaging. Have an open door policy where you can be seen as approachable to your subordinates. Listening to employees -Have an atmosphere where employees ideas and suggestions are valued. Don’t have surveys and suggestion boxes then when feedback is given, you simply ignore it.

• Champion Team Building Activities. Encourage a family atmosphere at work. Recognize Birthday’s. Have regular meetings and office activities such as talent shows, group breakfast / luncheons and different events that will promote a sense of togetherness and belonging. You may want to host some of these activities off site for a change of scenery.

• Reward and Recognition- Offer incentives. Always reward staff for good work, and not only top performers include those who are improving or doing their best. Additionally, don’t just wait for this occasion, you can always recognize employees by communicating to them the great job they are doing. Give Specific Thank You’s. Show employees the results of their hard work. Make them feel as though they are a major part of the business. Keep them up to date with the performance of the company this will motivate them to give more.

• Training - One of the top reasons employees leave a company is the lack of development opportunities. Staff members can interpret an employer’s unwillingness to invest in training as a disregard for their professional development. Acknowledge and encourage strengths, recognize the different skills they possess and recommend training for them. Subsequently, If a staff member has informed you they want to move to another department support their wishes, don’t be an obstacle to them.

• Employee Development- Grant time off to employees to pursue projects, family commitments, educational or personal development programmes. Take an interest in their progression. Where possible be flexible. If employees have to go through the red tape every time to get time off. They will just prefer to call in sick. Work with them for a suitable arrangement. Have ways they can work back the hours. If not have a discussion but don’t just give them the axe.
  

Taking Action: When you get to the the root of the problem try to make changes. It may be a system that cannot be changed, well try to find ways to work around it. Let employees see that you are really intent on improving their work environment. You may not please everyone but in the end you will gain their respect.

What are some of your tips for boosting employee morale?

I really appreciate that you are taking the time to read this post. Here are the other 14 posts I have written:

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