Welp MagazineLow morale in any business setting is a problem – you will quickly find that it is detrimental to everyday business and can impact customer relationships and damage your reputation. Low morale can potentially cost your company a whole lot of money, so you should be doing all in your power to combat it.
There are many approaches to this, and it could take a while to find one that works perfectly for your business. There are some key building blocks, however, that can get things off to the right start.
#1 Employee gifts
Gifts can quickly become an essential part of making your employees happier – after all, everyone likes a nice present. A simple thank-you gift can begin to show your employees how happy you are with their work and how proud you are of them – especially if they are earning you a lot this quarter. You are going to find that by coming up with numerous employee appreciation gift ideas, especially through the use of ‘custom swag’, you can encourage your employees to be happier and work harder for your business.
#2 Reward systems
Reward systems can sound a lot like gifts, but they can be used in tandem for faster results. Reward systems can be used throughout the year, where employees collect points that get them rewards, such as ‘employee of the month’ and ‘employee of the year’ awards, along with appropriate prizes. Reward systems can help you to build friendly competition, build stronger, more hardworking communities and also just give an extra little incentive for them to get on the ball a little faster. You should make sure everybody gets something, though, as badly handled rewards systems can lead to animosity.
#3 Employee-to-work ratio
This is a big one, especially in the face of rising overheads. You are going to need to make sure that you have an employee-to-work ratio that means that you are getting the most out of your employees. Too little work and your employees are going to lose motivation and begin to get a bit sluggish and prone to errors.
Too much work, on the other hand, can cause relationships to get strained, mistakes to happen, and your business will start to go into a downward spiral. There can be a lot of stress around these numbers, as obviously, work fluctuates over time, so you are going to need to figure out a happy middle ground for your employees to work with.
#4 Don’t underestimate training
Training your employees can boost morale significantly. It can be a great way to help you boost confidence in your workforce and help them to get more out of any tech or machinery that you give them. You are also likely to find that training your employees also helps with loyalty to the company, meaning that they are more likely to consider longer hours. This, in turn, can mean they stay for the long term – helping employee retention numbers.
#5 Consider hybrid work
Introducing a hybrid working pattern can boost employee morale at a stroke. Not only do they get the balance of working from home and being in the office, but they can also work in the areas that suit them best.
A lot of people like to work from home as they can be in complete control of their environment, and they don’t have to work with about eight other people talking about different things. However, others like to work in the office, as they can’t separate home and work life as easily and need to be in a different physical location to be able to get on and do things.
#6 Improve communication
Improving communication builds stronger working relationships within your business. You are likely to find that focusing on communication in your business has many benefits, including:
- Problems tend to be solved faster
- Better support systems between employees in the workplace
- Knowledge is shared more freely
You should not underestimate the value of these factors, especially in high-stress periods when you are especially busy. You will find that the right communication software can be a valuable tool in aiding this, so you should dedicate some time and effort to finding the best one for your business.
#7 Hygiene and cleanliness
Hygiene is another important way to make sure that your employees stay happy. No one wants to work in a dirty space, so you should be encouraging employees to keep their desks clean and hire a janitorial company to help keep all common areas sanitary.
You will find that this has huge benefits to morale and can help your workers to be more enthusiastic about coming into the workplace. This can be something that is easily manageable but can make such a huge difference to how your employees feel about your company.
