The importance of boosting morale at work

Boosting morale at work

We hear all the time about companies revolutionising their workplace and boosting morale in the process. This company has a slide and a ball pit, whilst these guys have an open plan, glass only office, and this other company has a free breakfast bar. Whatever way we see fit, it is important to try and boost employee morale at work. Why? Because boosting morale at work will help increase employee engagement and performance and this will impact business performance positively.

Office Vibes put together an interesting article rounding up some eye-opening statistics regarding employee morale and engagement. Over a third of employees would sacrifice over £5,000 of their salary just to be happier at work. We're living in an age where 'purpose', 'values' and 'contribution' are what matters, not just financial reward. Most of our employees are driven by a desire to contribute rather than just earn money. The statistics don't lie, and now that we know, the big question is - how are you boosting morale at work?

Understanding people contributes to boosting morale at work

When we consider employee engagement the first things we look at are general improvements or programmes we can implement. Whether by an individual employee, HR team, board or team leader, having broad improvements and programmes in place can yield positive results and boost team morale generally. What's imperative to this, however, is to understand the people. If you understand each person in your team, you'll know what inspires them, what makes them happy and what they need to perform to their best. Merely knowing your colleague's individual characteristics are what separates managers from leaders.

Leaders show empathy, compassion and attentiveness towards their team, and this in itself can inspire those around them. Knowing your peers individually is important because knowing what boosts morale for one person could ultimately be different for someone else. This is why employee engagement programmes are great as a base point to work from, but you need to delve deeper to consistently retain and engage employees. Additionally, employee engagement programmes and activities must reflect the core values of the company and its leaders. It's no good for example, having a breakfast bar if company leaders don't believe in its value. It's hard enough proving ROI on something like that, without having to battle non-believers too!

Working environments impact morale

We reference the importance of creating positive working environments regularly at Hemsley Fraser because this means so much to us. A working environment is again reflective of its leadership and companies core values. Without care for your peers/team, the result is a negative place to work. This is why some companies get their employee engagement plans wrong; those in charge of increasing engagement don't have enough focus on the business, it's members and the performance of the team to encourage this kind of activity. In the long run, everyone pays the price and staff turnover is very high.

To create a truly engaged and positive working environment research is key. Survey your current team, survey prospective employees and find out what drives them - what are they looking for to be inspired? This will guide you, and from here you can research companies that provide these activities, perks and learn from them. You can take all of this data and insight and build a coherent plan to improve employee engagement for the here and now, as well as the future of the business.

Recharge the office

We have to stay charged up and ready to seize the day. As with anything work-related, we can become demotivated and lose energy. Leaders need to ensure this happens as little as possible, by understanding the dynamic of the team and the effect situations have on overall office morale. For example, if a budget has been spent for the year, but your team have developed a strategy that will improve business efficiency with new robust tools, how will the conversation that this will have to wait until next year go down? Are there any short-term solutions that will help lessen the blow and keep the team motivated?

Additionally, there are the health benefits of staying recharged. Productivity levels drop if we sit at our desks all day and we end up burning ourselves out. With that being said, we need to ensure that we are taking regular lunch breaks! Taking breaks allows us to get away from work and relax. We can use this time to change the scenery, let our minds unwind and simply forget about our troubles whilst we enjoy our lunch. Alongside lunch, ensuring you take the time to stretch out is important. Performance levels drop when we are feeling fatigued, so try not to stay sat down for hours on end. Where applicable, throw in some stretches to reinvigorate your body and mind.

Negativity contributes to low morale at work

Negativity is poisonous! I've seen fun, productive yet vibrant working environments turn in an instance due to negativity. The drop is absolutely astounding and scary to witness. We can never fully remove negativity from the workplace, that's unrealistic. What we can do is work doubly hard to make the workplace as positive as possible. Our efforts will not fail us and can lead to boosting morale at work exponentially.We can also tackle negative situations head on, ensuring that these are not left to fester. We must always encourage - positivity is infectious and can yield some incredible results.Teams work harder, faster and longer to ensure the targets are achieved. It's amazing to see a positively coherent team collaborating for the greater good of the business.

Another way to avoid negativity is to observe and appreciate. They say "a simple 'thank you' goes a long way" and that is totally true. Effective communication can stem from purely appreciating just what people do for the business. Take time to recognise achievements and acknowledge them with the wider team, so that they can show their appreciation too.

Getting out of your comfort zone

When we look to boost our morale at work, mixing up our daily routine can contribute to a more creative, fun and enthralling working day. Taking on new challenges for example and acquiring new skill sets will motivate more than financial reward ever could. An example of this would be being a digital marketer who has learned to code - there is nothing more satisfying than knowing you have been given the opportunity to acquire a new skill set by a company who understands and values you. Additionally, the change in daily routine allows you not to stagnate, and find new ways to enjoy and love your job.

Of course, there are instances where certain tasks need to be done on certain days, and these processes will always need to be in place. But moving tasks around and taking an approach that allows for workplace agility is imperative to boosting morale at work.

To conclude, boosting morale at work isn’t merely one simple action that will work as a quick fix. Taking the time to understand your team and their drivers and combining this with employee engagement plans will boost the performance of the business.