Employee morale is often seen as this elusive idea, almost a myth without any definitive shape, or definition. However, although not always visible, employee morale is something that actively affects and impacts a workplace. Low employee morale stands in the way of your company running at its peak performance.
However, before we dive right into the ways to increase morale at work, we must first know what low employee morale entails.
All of us must have come across employees who are grouchy and unsatisfied, someone who is unconvinced of their team or company’s growth. Tardiness, regular absenteeism, or a careless approach to work are all clear, tell-tale signs of low employee morale.
On the other hand, high morale among employees means more energetic, more enthusiastic, and more engaged employees, who are actively participating in their work and are confident about the trajectory of the company.
There is no question about which one of these options is the more preferable one. High employee morale determines a higher level of productivity and thus can ensure the overall growth of the company, benefitting both the employer as well as the employee.
Thus, employers must focus on addressing how to boost team morale in the workplace, and invest in activities to boost morale in the workplace, for the collective growth and betterment of the company and its employees.
Want to know how to promote wellness in the workplace? Then you need this guide!
What Is Employee Morale?
Employee morale is the mental and emotional condition of an employee which determines their attitude and outlook towards their job. It is how they feel about their day-to-day work, how they approach their work, and what their attitude is toward their roles.
The word morale literally means the confidence and the enthusiasm of an individual or a group, and when you apply the word in a workspace, it refers to the employees’ enthusiasm and confidence in and about their work.
In other words, employee morale is the culmination of attitude, motivation, and job satisfaction. This is why it is important to know how to improve employee morale and motivation since that tends to make employees more productive than their counterparts with low morale.
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Why Do You Need To Focus On Morale And Productivity?
As has been already mentioned, higher morale is directly associated with higher productivity. In a company, if most of your employees are lethargic and are suffering from low morale, the overall performance of the company would be impacted.
Low morale also paves way for absenteeism and a high turnover rate, while with high morale, both absenteeism and turnover rate will come down, and your company can save a lot of time, money, and effort on paperwork.
Low morale also damages the team spirit among your employees, since it can negatively impact interpersonal relations among employees, and even between employer and employees.
In many cases of low employee morale, the employees tend to pay less attention and become careless. This is very dangerous, especially in a workplace setting with machinery, since it can lead to accidents and such.
Thus, boosting morale in the workplace ideas are essential for the overall welfare of the company and its employees, and thus, employers should focus on how to improve morale in the workplace.
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10 Easy And Efficient Ways To Increase Morale At Work
Now that we know why we need to focus on morale, let us look into ideas to boost staff morale. Here are 10 easy and effective ways to improve morale among your employees.
1. Healthy company culture
A healthy company culture entails proper core values and a safe work environment. A healthy company culture encourages productivity and motivates employees, thus helping them have increased morale.
2. Employee recognition program
Monetary remuneration is not always enough acknowledgment for your employees, and thus, employee recognition programs should be held, to acknowledge the hard work of your employees and appreciate them. This increases employee morale since it would make your employees feel valued.
Wondering how to build an employee recognition program? Click here to find out!
3. Employee wellness programs
Wellness programs are added perks, that, when offered to employees, increase their productivity and improve their morale. Taking care of the physical, emotional, and mental wellness of your employees not only gives them a sense of security but also helps them to avoid lifestyle diseases and disorders.
Loop offers your employees the goodness of real-time wellness. Click here to read more!
4. Offer training programs
Regular training programs ensure that your employees are completely up to date with the system and can develop the skills needed for their role. If they have the skills to do their work, they will feel comfortable in their roles, and this will thus boost employees’ morale.
5. Conduct surveys
Conducting surveys and taking feedback from your employees is one of the best ways to improve their morale since it indicates that the employers care about the opinion of the employees, and value their inputs.
6. Provide employee benefits
Offering benefits to employees makes employees feel that they are valued in the company and that their employers are willing to invest in their future. Benefits such as paid leaves, comprehensive health insurance, and doctor consults give your employees the added advantages, that help to improve their morale.
You can read more about Comprehensive Health Insurance and its benefits over here!
7. Communication
Improved communication in the team helps in building a sense of team spirit in your office, that not only makes the work run more smoothly, but also makes the workspace a more enjoyable place. Having ‘buddies’ as your team members in the office works wonders to improve employee morale.
A buddy system in the workplace is a great way to help employees with having to work alone. Click here to read on more for information about the buddy system.
8. Conduct fun engaging activities
Team building activities like pop quizzes and games like Chinese Whisper, Scavenger Hunt, and Escape Rooms liven up your office space like nothing else. They are engaging and help your employees to leave behind their mental fatigue and exhaustion after a long week. These activities will energize your employees and will give them the much-needed break, thus improving the office morale.
9. Allow remote work
Providing the facility of working remotely is very beneficial to your employees, and giving them this option can greatly improve their productivity, and motivation, thus enabling you to build a positive employee morale among your remote team.
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10. Give feedback
Just as you can learn about what your employees want, through regular survey, you can also provide them with regular feedback. This will let them know what you expect of them in terms of their roles, and provide you with an opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate their good work, which would boost employee morale.
What Are The Advantages Of Having Higher Employee Morale?
Now that we have looked into ways to increase morale at work, we need to know why need to have higher employee morale.
1. Increased productivity
If your employee is stressed and feeling down, that has got to translate into their work. Vice versa, higher employee morale naturally leads to more productivity, and consequently, increased performance in the workplace.
2. Lower absenteeism
An employee who enjoys their work and has high work morale is less likely to be frequently absent than its counterpart. With higher presenteeism, there will be more employee experience, have better engagement, and will have an overall enhanced performance.
3. Higher employee retention
If your employees likes their employment situation, and feel positive morale, they would prefer to stay at your company and contribute to its growth, thus increasing the employee retention rate.
Why do you think some employees are more engaged than others? Here are 7 factors that affect Employee Engagement and Motivation.
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Employees that are healthier and happy have higher morale and can contribute more to your workspace.
Read this quick and easy-to-read guide for implementing employee benefits that work for you and your organization
Employees, employers, and the company as a whole all benefit from wellness initiatives when they are properly implemented.
These initiatives contribute to an employee's overall well-being - physical, mental, and emotional - and help them grow and thrive as a person.
