Employee Morale

If your team has been struggling with low productivity, you are not alone. Many employers have faced this issue as the workplace has changed. Employee morale is the sense of satisfaction that your team has towards their jobs, and this can drastically impact productivity.

What Causes Low Morale?

Before you know how to improve employee morale, you need to know what the cause is in the first place. Here are the most common reasons employees may feel dissatisfied in their roles:

• They aren’t offered a chance to grow. Many studies have shown that employees want a challenge in their roles, or they become bored. Growth is essential for personal satisfaction.
• They don’t have a clear purpose. If they don’t know exactly what they should be doing, they won’t feel as though their work has meaning.
• There is a problem with the leadership. Poor leadership is one of the leading causes of low employee morale. If you’ve had changes recently, that can also shake the sense of satisfaction within the office.
• Their values don’t align with the mission of the organization. This is tough because you can’t always fix this issue. Employees need to know that the organization has a clear vision so that they can find ways to align their values with the company.

Now that you know some of the reasons an employee may be facing a sense of dissatisfaction, here are ten ways to instantly boost the company morale.

1. Boost Employee Morale by Being Transparent

Communicate with your employees often. Let them know that their emotional state matters to you. If they feel free to discuss morale concerns with you, you’ll be able to address those concerns before they become significant problems. If there are problems, be transparent about how and when those problems will be fixed.

2. Use Positive Reinforcement to Boost Employee Morale

When employees feel as though you see and appreciate their hard work, it’s easier for them to feel satisfied in their roles. Be sure to give employees recognition whenever you can. Regular praise for a job well done is called positive reinforcement, and in addition to boosting morale, it can also help train the team to perform those good behaviors more often.

3. Monitor Performance Data to Catch Poor Morale

It’s hard to improve employee morale if you don’t see it. You can catch indicators of poor morale if you monitor the correct data. Some things to keep an eye on include:

• A sudden drop in productivity
• A sudden rise in absenteeism
• More reports of interpersonal conflict
• A drop in completion rates for employee training

If any of these behaviors become common, it’s very likely that at least one team member is going through a period of low morale.

4. Maintain One-on-One Reviews with Every Employee

Everyone wants to feel like their individual presence matters to the bigger picture. If you have group meetings, you can get a good understanding of the overall company morale. But to really improve employee morale on an individual basis, be sure you are scheduling regular one-on-one check-ins with your team.

5. Encourage Personal and Professional Growth

Another way to improve employee morale is to show that you care about your team as people first. In addition to offering professional training, consider offering resources for personal growth. Can you add soft skills training to your LMS platform that will help employees prepare for future leadership opportunities? This can motivate employees’ loyalty to your organization.

6. Keep an Eye on the Company Culture

Sometimes, low morale stems from a culture of overwhelming hustle. You want your team to be productive, but you can’t push them so hard that they lose a sense of balance. Be sure that you are creating a calm and healthy culture. Encourage work-life balance and try to build an organized team that never feels overworked.

7. Train Your Managers to Recognize Low Morale

Employee morale is often harder to monitor when you aren’t working side-by-side every day. Be sure that your immediate team supervisors are trained to look for the signs of poor morale. Give leaders training in emotional intelligence and communication so that they can step in before issues become worse.

8. Consider Team-Building Activities

Morale can also be impacted by how well the team likes and trusts each other. If your team is made up of new hires or there has been some conflict in the past, consider scheduling a team-building activity. This can improve collaboration and help motivate better employee morale. Try to choose something both educational and enjoyable so that it doesn’t feel like wasted time. Team building games can be played with remote workers as well.

9. Provide Incentives for Jobs Well Done

When employee morale has dropped significantly, you may need to offer the short-term solution of rewards. Offer bonuses, extra PTO, lunch paid for by the company, or other rewards to help motivate employees to push through a low period. It won’t help with long-term morale, but it can improve performance temporarily while you search for another solution.

10. Look for Ways to Improve Tools or Systems

Finally, employee morale can be significantly impacted by inadequate tools or systems. Are there things in your office that could be improved to make everyone’s jobs easier? Do you need to upgrade your software, replace broken hardware, or remove bottlenecks in your workflow? These things can help by showing employees that you do care about their time.

Positive Employee Morale for Your Organization

If you want to attract the best talent in your field, reduce churn, and have a team that is as productive as possible, improving employee morale is a significant first step. Focus on ensuring that every employee has a clear direction and that your leadership team is well-trained in spotting low morale.

When you do spot low morale, use these tips to instantly improve the culture of your office. Your current and future employees will thank you with loyalty and productivity.