Morale is everything in the workplace. A team that doesn't like where it is will do the minimum required to get fired and no more. They won't care about your company or whether it's going well. That's the sad reality of working in a company where upper management doesn't seem to care about its employees.
But implementing some simple changes can do the world of good for team morale. This guide is going to introduce you to five easy ways to boost team morale.
Put a Rewards Program in Place
Morale is a big issue these days. Right now 86% of companies have implemented a formal rewards program because they know that it motivates. Such a system can range from verbal praise to prizes, like being able to go home early on a Friday. Some companies will even give you your birthday off from work.
A rewards system shouldn't be corny and it shouldn't feel forced. It should be made up by the staff so they actually want to advance through that rewards system.
Give them the Ultimate Reward
But the ultimate reward is a promotion. Nothing cripples morale like a position opening up and the company decides to bring someone else in without considering the talent already present within the company. The loyal CEOs that you could rely on so many years ago no longer exists. These days you will find employees moving between companies every few years so they can get up the corporate ladder.
Millennials expect promotions more than any other generation, so if you're not going to bring your team up to higher levels you'll never win their respect. The reward of a promotion is the best way to boost morale in your company, and improve employee retention.
Don't Work Them into the Ground
There are always times during the year where workloads are going to have to increase. This is a natural part of working for any company. Most employees can increase their pace for a short time, but if this lasts for too long it's going to drive them into the ground.
Working your employees into the ground will only lead to them becoming disillusioned. It's like whipping a horse even when it's running as fast as it can. Sooner or later it's going to collapse.
Monitor how often you're working. The fact is working more than 50 hours per week on a regular basis will reduce productivity. Give people time off when they need it and be flexible with how you issue that time off. If someone wants time off, and they're being reasonable, give them that time off.
Reduce and increase the workload as necessary to keep your team fresh. You might even want to step in yourself to take some of the load. This will help you win the respect of your team, and thus boost morale.
Spend Lunch Together
Creating friends out of your workforce will do a lot for company morale. Not enough attention is paid to encouraging people to connect with each other. You want to bring people together. And it can be as simple as spending lunch together. The working lunch should be a thing of the past.
People need time to get to know each other and they need time to recharge. There are many ways you can avoid people taking lunch at their desks. Ban it and eat in the cafeteria with your staff. You could even take your team out to a restaurant every Friday. Little things like this can do a huge amount for morale because people are talking to each other on an informal basis.
Go on a Company Retreat
Company retreats are where you take the entire workforce away from the city to the mountains, on a luxury cruise, or to the beach. These retreats are not about work but about forging stronger connections between team members. The goal is to improve morale. They should never be a drag. They should be something people look forward to.
The role of the company retreat has changed over the years, though. Forget about those silly trust exercises. Those are the things people have always hated. A company retreat should feel like a weekend away with friends, rather than just another meeting in a different environment.
Make it light-hearted and try to keep serious business out of the picture.
Conclusion
These five strategies represent simple ways to boost morale. Just by changing the way you do business you can completely change how every employee views each other.
What do you think is the best way to improve company morale?