6 easy ways to boost workplace morale - without breaking the bank

​Dina Fergadiotis - HR Advisor

​A positive change by business leaders is the recent focus on workplace culture, wellness and morale. If businesses are not ahead of the game, they risk losing valued and talented employees to a workplace with a higher morale or stronger culture.  With a tough talent market – good, great and especially exceptional employees are really hard to find.  High quality candidates have a lot of options and when they are tossing up which position to accept they are certainly more likely to choose a business that is known for its positive workplace culture and morale.  Not only do these businesses secure the best candidates, they are able to deliver long term and high levels of engagement and satisfaction throughout their employment – win-win for businesses and employees!  

So what's your workplace morale like and is it worth all the effort to make changes to boost it?

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What's happening at your place?
Even if you believe that the morale in your business is pretty good, there is always more that can be done to give it a boost or freshen things up to ensure employees are engaged and excited by their relationship with their workplace.  You have nothing to lose and everything to gain – increased employee engagement, lower staff turnover, increased productivity, reduced absenteeism, positive brand promotion by employees, stress reduction and so much more.  

Improving morale within a workplace does not always require you to spend money you might not have, on things your team might not want.   Sure, a games room with a fridge full of treats might be nice but it is expensive and really won’t necessarily deliver long term cultural improvements.   Fear not, for we have   a few simple and effective tips in how to improve workplace morale that are guaranteed to work. 

Foster an open and honest environment in everything from providing feedback, having honest day to day conversations and providing a safe environment for employees to truly speak their mind and not be judged. There is power in fostering an honest environment as it invites deeper connections between people allowing outcomes to be achieved quicker.

Share the vision and mission of the business as employees feel more connected and engaged in their position when they have a full understanding of how their contributions impact the overall business, fit into the big picture and link to the strategic plans and goals of the business. 

Celebrate successes of individuals and teams – implementing and maintaining a meaningful and purposeful reward and recognition program that motivates people to work hard, work smarter and demonstrate your desired behaviours work in helping with employee recognition. Team or individual bonuses, gift vouchers, free lunch, massages at work or social activities are great ways to reward your team. Fear not! Money is not always required as a simple thank you will also suffice as recognition is a very powerful tool – people just need to know they are appreciated and a written thank you note or card form a person’s manager is absolute gold. 

Place a strong focus on supportive workplace wellness - personal training, lunch time walks, meditation rooms, self-development and stress coaching, mental health training, ensuring healthy snacks available to everyone and breaks are encouraged. 

Encourage risk taking (just not with health and safety 😊).  No employee or manager will push the boundaries and take risks if they think they will ‘get in trouble’ or be punished by the business. Allowing a little room for experimenting and creating a safe space where people know it’s okay to fail once in a while really allows employees and businesses to grow and push the limits. Innovation is a result of an encouraging environment!

Promote from within your business employees are truly motivated by internal promotions and opportunities to grow personally and professionally. Offering these opportunities are important when it comes to retaining valuable employees. And if you can’t promote, provide opportunities for people to flex their professional muscle – provide special projects or secondments, invite their ideas and invest in their development. 

If you would like assistance in designing a tailored program to boost the morale in your workplace, introduce initiatives or make recommendations to what you currently have in place contact us at HR Staff n’ Stuff – we are here to help!

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