While it is hard to tell which employee in your organisation suffers from low morale, companies are still skeptical about the real value of morale boosters. Transforming from a “nice-to-have” to a “must-have” for businesses across the globe, the argument over this issue continues with prominent emphasis on its critical need for businesses today to have higher employee morale.
High morale is a prerequisite of employee engagement, and multiple studies have shown that engaged companies outperform competitors in categories like customer service, retention, and profit. Research further proves that high morale organizations consistently benefit from less stress, which in turn means higher productivity due to reduced turnover and absenteeism.
Cost Factor Involvement to Boost Employee Morale
Many organisations are on second thoughts and at times stepping back their efforts to boost morale, owing to cost considerations, since investment into employee engagement can turn out to be quite pricey.
However the stark reality is, organisations just cannot afford to NOT focus on employee morale, as therein lies the key to increased productivity, job satisfaction and an engaged workforce.
Culling through sources, we have compiled a list of top 10 employee morale boosters that won’t break the bank, but on the contrary aid you to maximise savings with increased profits.
Don’t get too weird to get yourselves sued, however a little weird is okay as it can prove beneficial to your business. Embrace the quirky, off-kilter aspects of your culture to lighten the mood in the office. The idea is to make things that people tend to dread – like meetings – more fun by doing something out of the ordinary.
Ideally, you want to do things that are both weird and authentic, meaning things that reflect the culture of the organization. Allowing for weirdness also promotes outside the box thinking and creative problem solving.
A growing body of scientific research proves that showing gratitude improves physical and psychological health, improves sleep and perks up your moods for the day. The challenge however for many companies is how to integrate showcasing gratitude in their daily workings?
Expressing gratitude can help put your daily challenges into perspective, and aids in emotions like empathy, which is essential for communication. For example, you can either create a weekly all hands meeting at the beginning or end of the week.
As the heading makes it sound, the failures to be highlighted during a meet which would decrease employee morale? Then perhaps, we prove you wrong here. Los Angeles-based mobile gaming studio Scopely has proved that the opposite is true. The company encouraged team members to share their biggest failure during the week in the all-hands meeting and what they learned from it.
The point here is to not call out mistakes, but to acknowledge that failure is part of the process and to share the lessons learned. The light-hearted tone of the fail of the week puts people at ease, makes risk taking easier, and actually improves morale.
A healthy relationship with failure should be a part of your culture, particularly in growth-oriented start-ups, where big risks are critical to success. This practice communicates that it’s ok to fail, and emphasizes growth and learning.
Some things in life are just indisputable. Like gravity, inertia, and Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, the healthy foods correlation with morale is one of those immutable laws of nature.
In all seriousness, healthy office snacks and meals provide a morale-boosting perk that will raise spirits and productivity.
Mood and cognition are affected by our nutrition, so providing healthy options is a great way to demonstrate that your employees are cared for and appreciated, but also provide them with the fuel they need to work at peak performance.
Is there anything that brings employees together better than good conversation and a few adult beverages? However, don’t make it seem like an escape from work – and definitely don’t settle for jalapeno poppers and a blooming onion over at TGI Fridays.
Create an interactive libation experience in the workplace. Set aside a day of the week or month for a companywide happy hour. Have different departments to host the event around a centralized common theme that reflects the character of that department.
Even when you love your job, Mondays can be tough and weekends never seem long enough. To take you through the week and offset Monday blues. Engage your teams on Monday mornings on a positive note, with a team meet over coffee and share few interesting happenings during the weekend.
This will make your team feel energized, refreshed and perked up to start their day on a happy note and in turn boost employee morale. Making a team member secure and confident is the most powerful morale booster any manager can give.
Nothing quite sets the mood like music, making it a fun and easy way to improve morale in any office setting. What’s more, certain types of music make repetitive tasks more enjoyable, improve focus, and can even make us more creative.
Instrumental music works best, as lyrics have a tendency to distract. Luckily there are great instrumental versions of popular songs available from artists like the Vitamin String Quartet. Music not only sets the right mood, but can also help aid focus and productivity.
Studies have proved that green spaces improve mental health. It turns out that employees are happy and productive when they get fresh air and work in an atmosphere with access to park and open areas outside offices.
However, if you work in a zone with harsh winters or an urban environment, then this access isn’t always easy to come by. The solution here is to bring green spaces indoors.
A green environment at work is cheap, fun, and proven to counter phenomena like Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). What’s more, a University of Queensland study found that an office outfitted with plants can actually increase employee productivity by 15 percent.
It is very common for employees to suffer from lower morale in a “dead-end job”, especially when they feel there is no room for growth and self improvement. To ensure this isn’t the case, be proactive about growth and development.
As HR personnel, you can hold personal development call meetings with senior managers and leaders at the helm of affairs, to discuss one-on-one with each team member about their career progression and personal development goals they wish to accomplish working for the company.
Today’s workforce seek to grow alongside company growth individually as well, hence allowing room for individual development will help retain key talent within the organization. The success of your business depends on the quality of your people. Why wouldn’t you assist your employees grow and get better?
A company sponsored book club solves a problem that tons of employees face, but few employers take the initiative to address. Most people want to read more, but simply don’t have the time.
Gallup recently found that Americans with full-time jobs work an average of 47 hours per week, or the equivalent of 6 full work days. Nearly 40% logged more than 50 hours per week. With family obligations presumably taking up most of our free time, this leaves precious little room for personally-enriching activities like reading.
A book club that focuses on the Harry Potter series is perfectly ok, but for double the value, throw in some business or self improvement titles as well. Your company as a whole will likely benefit from new ideas and more focused workers. Crowdsource book ideas to ensure that the employees are engaged with the informative resources.
The original article was published on SnackNation.com
