Did you know that 51% of U.S. employees aren’t engaged to deliver good work, while 17.5% of them are actively disengaged? Worse yet, the symptoms of low morale aren’t always obvious.
They range from the lack of cooperation and few conversations to rare personal initiatives and the overall poor performance. And, you need to invest a lot of effort to learn how to recognize them effectively.
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6 Ways to Improve Your Office Morale
Such a worrisome lack of productivity may cost companies between $450 and $550 billion per year. So, what does this mean for small businesses with restricted budgets? Well, if they don’t find a way to resolve this issue on time, the chances are that they will fail. This is something you cannot afford to happen.
Here are a few tactics that will help you boost your employees’ satisfaction.
Give your Employees a Chance to Perfect their Skills
Let’s face it. No matter how much you love your job, sooner or later it becomes stagnant. Every day resembles the previous one and you start feeling just like a hamster running in circles. So, what do you do in a situation like that? Unsurprisingly, you will quit your job and look for more exciting career opportunities.
The same goes for your employees. Regardless of how much they may respect you or love their coworkers, once they get bored, they will start searching for a more profitable job that will open the door to meeting new people, perfecting their skills, and taking their career to the next level.
For every business owner, losing loyal employees seems like a nightmare. But, don’t despair. There is something you can do to prevent all this on time. Like they say, where there’s will, there’s a way.
For starters, you need to motivate your employees by putting your trust in them and offering them career advancement opportunities. According to a build a strong career, 30% of Millennials say that career advancement opportunities motivate them to work harder and stay with their employer for some time.
Now, for the majority of businesses, career advancement opportunities mean offering a raise or a better job title. But, it doesn’t have to be so. Today’s employees are demanding and they are eager to constantly improve their knowledge and perfect their skills.
This is why you should build a strong career development plan and provide them with a wide range of online or in-house courses relevant to your niche. You could even ask them what kind of mentoring programs and courses they are interested in the most.
Show that you Care
Your employees are the lifeblood of your business. As their boss, you need to be involved in their personal lives and let them feel valued not only as your workers, but also as family members.
After all, you are a huge corporate family. Keep tabs on your employees and celebrate their personal milestones. Throw them a surprise birthday party, send flowers to your employees when they have a child, wish them happy holidays, and so on.
You should also track their behavior and know if something troubles them. For instance, if you notice that an employee is underperforming, you should take them aside for a face-to-face talk and try to figure out what the problem is.
Each of your employees is different and, to understand them, you need to put yourself in their shoes. Let them know that you care about their well-being and that they are much more than just a name on a piece of paper for you. Most importantly, always try to be available to them when the need arises. Remember, it is sometimes little things like that may make a huge difference.
Give out Incentives
For decades, incentives have been one of the most powerful engagement boosters. The studies show that 71% of workers would rather work for an employer who provides rewards than take a job with higher pay.
However, you need to keep in mind that giving out rewards is a pretty complex task. For many business owners, this means giving their employees a bonus whenever they do something exceptional.
Still, this strategy may be counterproductive. The chance is that your employees will feel motivated to do their best only when they know that they’re going to be financially rewarded for their hard work. Not to mention that this approach will cost you an arm and a leg.
This is why you should consider some other ways to say thanks to your employees. You could give reloadable prepaid visa card instead of money, offer company-paid family events, take them to a group lunch, give out free movie tickets, or organize a company-wide team building event.
Sometimes, even some tiny recognition incentives, such as flexible working hours or a public praise may make your workers proud and satisfied.
Celebrate their Professional Milestones
Finding an employee that is a right match for your company is immensely important. No matter if someone works for you for a month or 5 years, these are all people who have been there for you and helped you grow your initial ideas into flourishing projects.
Precisely because of this, you need to tell them that you value their hard work, effort, and loyalty. And, there is no better way to do so than to celebrate their professional achievements and milestones.
For example, closing an important sale or celebrating work anniversaries is a pretty big deal and you should celebrate it by throwing an office party. Get the cake, give a toast, hand them a gift card or even print out a personalized ‘thank you’ plaque.
Let Them Take a Break
Your employees spend at least 8 hours per day at work. Sooner or later, obligations and worries will start piling up, taking their toll on their motivation and performance. To avoid potential burnouts, you should let your employees relax whenever they want.
For example, you could provide them with happy hours or introduce casual Fridays. Also consider throwing a party from time to time, with relaxing music and hearty meals.
You can even allow them to bring their friends and family. By allowing them to take a break from their turbulent everyday obligations, you will boost their morale and overall workplace performance.
Give them Time for Personal Projects
People may feel discouraged when working on their “work” projects exclusively. This is exactly why you should provide them with enough time to pursue their individual preferences and initiatives and they will be grateful.
For example, you could choose a certain day of the month and dedicate it to their personal projects. You could even give them a few extra days of vacation time to use to complete their unfinished tasks and obligations.
Back to You
Improving your employees’ satisfaction and productivity in real life may be a tedious task. But, no matter how tiresome it may be, it is crucial for creating a pleasant corporate culture, earning your team’s trust, and enhancing the overall workplace morale.
Appreciate your workers’ contribution, value their individual traits, and encourage building strong relationships between them. This way, they will feel appreciated and work like synchronized cogs, ensuring that the wheel of your well-oiled machine is spinning properly.
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