Employee morale is defined as the satisfaction, outlook and feelings of well-being an employee has within a workplace setting. Proven to have a direct impact on productivity, it is one of the cornerstones of business. Employees who are happy and positive at work are said to have high employee morale as opposed to companies that maintain employees who are dissatisfied and negative about their work environment are said to have low or negative employee morale.
Symptoms of Low Morale Employee:
- Lack of cooperation: When office morale is low employees are generally less likely to work well together and maybe less willing to accept complex or burdensome tasks from higher up the corporate ladder.
- Few personal conversations: Friendly conversations aren’t a necessary requirement for successful business operations, but scarcity of personal communication could be a direct symptom of low morale.
- Rare personal initiatives: If you have noticed within your business that not as many of your employees are taking better initiatives to better the company as a whole it could be a major sign that morale has reached a low.
- Increased rates of turnover: For this sign, you’ll have to look at broad trends – a higher number of people leaving could be a major sign that morale is dropping.
- Overall poor performance or attitude: This is one that can be overlooked and more obvious when changes are gradual. Are your employees doing less than they used to? Is negativity more rampant than it once was?
8 Quick Tips for Boosting Employee Morale (via Inc.com):
(1) Recognize individual and group achievements: Morale tends to sink when people feel their work is not being recognized or appreciated. When employers look to reward their employees for consistent hardwork, they think of offering raises, promotions, or new benefits but smaller-recognitons can go a lot further and cost a lot less. Congratulate the employee personally and publicly. Your goal should be to create an environment where people realize their work is appreciated.
(2) Make time for fun in the office: “work” and “fun” are not mutually exclusive terms. You can inject some regular fun in the workplace without immediately ruining your chances of a perfect day. Break the day up with a little fun in the workplace without immediately ruining your chances of a perfect day. A brief, few minutes away from the desk can improve productivity. Another way to boost morale is to have your company participate in various team building programs.
(3) Allow time for personal projects: Even if their position is a manifestation of their personal passions, grant your employees time to pursue individual passions so they’ll maintain visions and passion much longer.
(4) Change up the routine: Morale can sink when the office starts to feel like a robotic institution. Changing up the routine can have a dramatic effect on morale even if the changes are temporary and subtle. Any break from the routine can be positive for collective morale.
(5) Celebrate personal milestones: Your employees haves lives outside of the office. Celebrate personal milestones because doing so not only makes them feel like they are a part of your corporate family, but little things can make a big difference.
(6) Promote your own: Make sure to promote your own employees from within even if it is going to take extra training.
(7) Inspire positive attitudes by being positive: The best way to encourage positive attitudes throughout the company is to carry a positive attitude yourself. Positive mentalities are contagious and compounding. Make positive comments, walk with a smile on your face, and personally greet people when they arrive to work. Employees will be more likely to do the same things to their co-workers, and before you know it you’ll be nurturing a collective environment of positive employees.
(8) Open the floor: The biggest morale booster you can offer is letting your employees know that their voices are heard and respected. Take time out of your day to ask your employees how they feel about their assignments, to asking about their concerns and or frustrations. Keep your employees happy and motivated.
