Tips to Boost Employee Morale
In one of Atlanta-based Talk Show Host Clark Howard's newsletters, he recounted a statistic that the higher a company's employee morale, the higher the profitability of the company. The Publix supermarket chain and Wachovia Bank were the two examples Howard gave as proof. Howard says that both are highly profitable and both experience incredible employee morale.
Here are six tips guaranteed to enhance company morale in your company:
1. Over communicate. When management fails to communicate with employees, the grapevine takes over and communication becomes based more on rumor than on facts. Remember that it's almost impossible to keep a secret when the information is shared with only a select few associates.
2. Conduct regular performance reviews. In today's fast-paced and highly competitive business environment, owners and managers frequently don't take time to let employees know how they're doing. It's human nature to want to know where you stand with your boss. Of course, we all would prefer a positive performance review than one full of negatives, but even so, employee morale is higher when employees don't have to guess at their standing in the company.
3. Host events for employees and their families. In some cases, employees spend more time in the workplace than they spend at home, and when they're at home, they are often talking about friends at work. Take advantage of opportunities to bring employees and their families together. Summer picnics, award banquets and Christmas parties are great opportunities to allow employees to introduce their spouse and kids to coworkers. At you next Christmas party, invite a Santa Clause. Make your employees' kids happy and odds are you will make the employees happy.
4. Show a genuine interest in your employees. Remember the old saying, "Your people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." Make it a point to ask your employees how their family is doing. When you learn that a family member is ill, has had an accident, just entered college, got married, had a child, etc., follow up. Your people will go to the ends of the earth for you when they know that you care about them as individuals.
5. Make work fun for your people. Some jobs are easier to reward than others, but running contests from time to time is a good change of pace for your people and keeps them alert. As an example, one April a dealer I know told his drivers that he would give each driver a cash bonus if they could avoid any accidents until Labor Day. They did it and the program was extended on a month by month basis. An accident eventually ended the contest, but while it was going on, the drivers really pulled together.
6. When employees excel, take time to jot a thank-you note. The thank-you note will be even more effective if it is written on company letterhead and mailed to the home address. Be alert! Catch your people doing something right.
Make It A Champion Day!
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