7 Ways to Increase Employee Morale

The need to maintain a high level of employee morale may sound like some vague or abstract idea but it actually isn’t. It’s as important as providing the right equipment or tools to employees. It’s as necessary as providing the right amount salaries, compensation, and benefits. There are many ways to help boost employee morale. Some of the most effective methods are as follows:

One of the easiest ways that you can employ to improve employee morale is by having a rewards and recognition plan in place in your business organization. You can take help from leading online platforms like Gift Market. They can help you with a range of customized gifting options, awards and trophies that can celebrate success and achievements. This will demonstrate that the management takes note of the work of the employees and is keen on rewarding them at stages like this.

1. Make employees feel that their existence in the company is more than just a job.

This is a basic guideline you will find in almost all strategy lists for boosting employee morale. It is superlatively important to create a sense of belongingness among employees. It should be made clear that the company’s success is also the employees’ success. Employees shouldn’t be treated as mere numbers in the company’s records. Management should exert the effort to remember employees’ names and hold genuine team-building activities. Sending occasional gifts to employees or having chitchats with them will always be appreciated.

2. Be accurate in assessing employee performance.

Imagine being an employee in a company that does not have accurate records of employee’s attendance and outputs. That would certainly be frustrating! That’s why it’s very important to put in place a reliable system for tracking the performance of employees. Consider investing in a quality timesheet software, for example, to make sure that your records are correct and quickly accessible.

3. Consider giving them a raise if possible and feasible.

Not many how-to-boost-employee-morale guides or articles you find online mention this but it’s something that’s worth mentioning. Realize the fact that the biggest reason why employees work is to earn something. That’s why whenever possible and viable, consider giving a raise. This is particularly advisable for small to mid-sized companies that tend to easily lose excellent employees to “greener pastures.”

If you can’t give a raise, consider giving fringe benefits.  Fringe benefits are more valuable than you think. They may be small or almost peculiarly worthless but they are good at boosting morale. They make employees feel appreciated. The thought certainly counts.

4. Acknowledge the good employees do and be subtle and nurturing in addressing their mistakes.

There are many ways to improve employee morale without a pay raise and acknowledgment is always an effective way of doing it. It doesn’t even have to involve a bonus or a prize. The simple idea of posting productive employees’ names on a bulletin board should be empowering enough. Of course, giving out some rewards or prizes is always a plus but they are not the main reason employees’ morale would be bolstered. On the other hand, it’s also important to avoid being harsh in dealing with mistakes or poor performance. This is not to say that you should be soft on imposing workplace discipline, especially with regards to punishments or penalties. The idea is to avoid embarrassing employees and to veer away from situations that make them lose their self-worth or doubt their capabilities.

5. Let employees pursue projects they like. Allow them opportunities to show their full potential.

This is not always applicable in all workplace settings but if there’s the opportunity to let employees pursue projects or endeavors they favor, give it to them. Let employees choose the projects or tasks they feel most comfortable with. Help employees find opportunities that allow them to show their best performance. Employees who are known to be poor performers or mediocre may just need to be assigned somewhere else.

6. Encourage competition.

If the competition with other companies is not enough to excite employees, perhaps competition among employees within the company will. Competition is not only good for improving productivity.  If handled wisely, it can also help enhance employee morale as everyone gets to work at their best to achieve the results they aspire to achieve. It can create a sense of direction and a stimulating way of perceiving work. Be careful in doing this, though, as internal competition can also be distractive and destructive.

If you give out rewards or prizes for the winners in the competition you are stirring, make sure that the system is completely credible and something that cannot be tampered with by those in higher management to favor certain employees. Also, always ascertain that the goal of the competition is to promote productivity and give employees a sense of excitement in doing their jobs. Be sure to be on top of everything. Be mindful of possible serious issues among employees that can be attributed to the competition you are trying to rouse.

7. Promotions should be based on merit and be something that encourages others.

If is very important to make sure that decisions on promotions should not cause other employees to feel unjustly sidelined. Promotions should be treated with immense prestige. They should be something that encourages others to do better instead of something that teaches employees to brown nose on someone in the management. It’s never good news for a company when employees have the perception that there are those among them who get promoted not because of their track record but because of their connections with those in the management.

Again, boosting employee morale can be done in many ways. Different ways work for different people differently. It’s up to the management or a company’s owner to find the best strategies to use. Enhancing employee morale is not something that can be achieved scientifically or methodically. Most of the time, it takes a trial and error process to determine the best methods to use.