Did you know that worker disengagement costs American companies between $450 billion and $550 billion annually?
Unfortunately, disengagement is possible at businesses where employee morale is low. You will want your staff members to feel valued, to know that their contributions matter, and to benefit as your company succeeds.
Since employee morale is so critically important to your business’ success, what follows is a look at how you can boost worker morale in the workplace.
Build Employee Morale by Acknowledging Excellent Performance
One way you can address low employee morale in the workplace is by acknowledging excellence. It’s not enough to say that your staff are paid well. They need to know that they are valued and that their work matters.
Whether you recognize great performances privately or publically, you will want your workers to know that they are an important part of the company. Otherwise, your staff might feel underappreciated.
Workers who don’t feel as though their superiors recognize and appreciate their work could easily become disengaged. And they might head for the exit the moment another opportunity at another company comes along.
Survey Your Workforce
You will want to keep abreast of what your employees are thinking and how they are feeling. One way to accomplish this is by conducting surveys. If you really want them to be honest, allow the surveys to be done anonymously.
You will want to keep your finger on the pulse of your company’s workforce. When surveying your workers, you will want to know what your company is doing right and what your company might be doing wrong.
Your employees will know your company cares when they see that their feedback, input, and recommendations are being sought. They will feel even better if they see honest attempts to act upon employee concerns.
Adopt a Flexible Work Schedule
Did you know that some 72% of respondents to a survey say that work-life balance is a critical factor when they’re deciding whether to take a job?
COVID-19 and the lockdowns that have been in place for large portions of that last year or so have shown that working from home is a viable option.
Your workers want to do their work, but they also want to be able to spend time with their families and to pursue interests outside of work. It is easier for them to do so when employers offer flexible work schedules.
For instance, you could allow your workers to work from home several times per week while requiring them to work in the office several times per week. This will allow you to build a company culture that honors workers.
You can also allow your staff to set their own hours, if this is realistic in your line of work, as long as they achieve set work objectives. Allowing this type of flexibility is sure to boost morale in your workplace.
Promote from Within
Another way you can boost morale in the workplace and reward your best company employees is by promoting from within. There will be times when you might have to fill positions by looking outside of your company.
But there will be times when you can and should promote workers who have demonstrated competency and who have proven themselves. They should know that hard work leads to career advancement within the company.
Brainstorm
Do you want to create a work environment that employees see as a safe workplace? Keep the lines of communication open. You can do this by brainstorming with your staff to come up with ways to build morale.
The hard work will be implementing the ideas created through brainstorming.
Provide the Tools Your Workers Need
Another way to build employee morale in your workplace is to give your staff the tools they need to do complete the tasks you require of them.
If you require a tool to help with productivity and efficiency, you will want to get the right solution for your workers. This guide will give you more details on how your staff can get the most out of the Salesforce tool.
Allow Free Time to Work on Projects
You can also build workplace morale by allowing your staff some free time to work on independent projects. You can give them several hours once per week to engage in these projects. This is one way to create a fun workplace.
Just be sure to let your workers know that whatever fun projects they take on can’t interfere with their paid work. You just might be surprised at what your whip-smart employees might come up with.
And if they do develop products and services that can be monetized under your corporate banner, ensure that they reap the benefits of their hard work.
Set Up an Exercise Room or Give Out Gym Memberships
Healthy people tend to be happier people. They will also take fewer sick days off work and will be more engaged in a workplace that honors them. If you have the space, you might want to consider setting up an exercise room.
That way, your workers can work out before work, after work, during their lunch break, or at other times of the day. Spending time during the day to exercise will also provide the opportunity for workers to socialize.
Another option is to give out gym memberships, preferably close to your place of business, so that your staff can work out whenever they want.
Employee Morale Is Every Businesses’ Business
Every business should be engaged when it comes to boosting employee morale and ensuring that their staff each feel appreciated and valued.
Contented staff are engaged staff, and engaged staff will positively impact the corporate bottom line.
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