Keeping staff morale high is an important part of being a business leader. If the wage is the only reason your employees are showing up to work, you won’t be getting the best from them.
Not only do you want your staff to produce their best work possible, but you also want them to take pride in the hard work they do.
Boosting staff morale is crucial for staff retention, which in the face of ‘the great resignation’, is vital to keep your company achieving the best results possible.
Here are some simple, cost-effective ways to ensure staff morale is kept high in the office:
Your staff wants recognition for their wins. If an employee does something good, let them know. If they try something new and innovative, let them know it was worth trying, praise them for their efforts and provide feedback on how they can improve next time.
Remember, don’t give feedback without mentioning what they have done well; whether it’s effort, creativity, or just working hard.
Recognition is a very important way to show staff that you’re paying attention to their work.
Setting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) or general targets that lead to rewards are great incentives. Take them for a meal, give them a gift voucher or go on a team-building day if they reach their targets.
KPIs can seem intimidating, especially to neurodiverse employees. Break down the goals you want them to achieve and speak to the employee about what targets are appropriate. Then help them to achieve their goals through setting realistic goals (SMART goals) and coaching them where they need it.
SMART goals are:
This will help with structured, attainable goals which are agreed upon. Giving your employees a say in their targets is another way of increasing staff morale.
Ensuring that your employees feel heard is critical for boosting staff morale. Whether it’s adding input on the next team building activity, any changes to the building, best ways of working/hybrid options, etc. having a discussion with your team will help you see multiple points of view.
Having a discussion with your staff on minor decisions helps keep the channel of communication open and will allow your employees to feel more comfortable with you as a leader.
Promoting an open and honest culture where you can discuss office changes, or any issues they’re experiencing is very important for a healthy office environment.
Most professionals join a company to develop their skills and grow their careers. If they know that career progression is on the table and is a common practice, they will be more confident and strive for a promotion through hard work and results.
You can create a clear progression structure for the company to give employees the knowledge of what they need to achieve for a promotion. This will keep them engaged and create a clear path to success. It also is a great addition to an open employee culture, allowing SMART goals to lead your team to success.
If your employee has had a spark of inspiration and wants to generate leads through personal branding on social media, video or even developing a podcast, providing them with support is an easy way to ensure they feel valued.
Having a discussion with them about what they need, weighing up the costs, and taking the project seriously will allow the employee to create achievable goals that can generate leads and bring in a new audience to your business.
When it comes to your team, you will always get the best results with happy, ambitious employees.
