Great companies know that employee morale is just as important as employee productivity. If you’re looking to ensure your teams remain motivated, you’ve come to the right place. One of the best ways to maintain high morale and foster a happy and welcoming work environment is to understand what factors affect employee morale.
When you understand what impacts employee morale, you proactively implement strategies to maintain high morale.
What Is Employee Morale?
You may be wondering, What is employee morale? This term refers to the overall attitude, satisfaction, and outlook of employees at a company. When employee morale is high, team members are generally more positive, more creative, and more willing to bring their best selves to work every day. When employee morale is high, productivity and overall teamwork are at their peak.
7 Factors Affecting Employee Morale and Ways to Keep Morale High
Below are seven of the most common factors affecting employee morale and ideas about how you can proactively address them to maintain high morale.
Communication Level
Communication is key in any relationship, and the workplace is no exception. The extent to which a company does or doesn’t share clear expectations and feedback with employees directly affects employee morale. When employees receive high-level communication, expectations are much clearer, and they can fully understand their responsibilities. Clear communication equips employees to get work done effectively and efficiently.
There is a wealth of options to implement clear and effective communication. Consider a weekly newsletter to recap the week’s achievements, regular morning meetings to touch base, and monthly company-wide gatherings to bring different departments together. In addition, tools like Slack can expedite communications and give employees better access to one another.
Workload
Every company has peak times, but when workloads become unreasonable for an extended period of time, burnout is generally right around the corner. Better company time management and evenly distributed workload can decrease the stress of accomplishing tasks and lead to a more positive work experience. Employees won’t feel the need to cut corners or become discouraged in not being able to complete their growing to-do list.
It’s important to be conscious of your employees’ workload. Having periodic check-ins to let employees know that you care how they feel will make them feel valued. It is also a valuable time to assess their feelings on their workload and how you can proactively provide support.
Teamwork Mindset
For many people, being a part of a team is one of the most rewarding parts of their job. When companies foster a teamwork-oriented environment, employees share the workload and get to interact with each other more. This atmosphere fosters collaboration and creativity while making the workday more enjoyable.
Consider planning team-building activities outside of the regular work environment to foster collaboration, build trust among employees, and create a more inclusive company culture.
Overall Trust
Companies want to trust their employees, and employees want to trust their leadership. Having mutual trust builds confidence in the capability of the team to accomplish its tasks.
Company leaders should empower employees to do their best work and limit tactics like micromanaging that make employees feel like they aren’t trusted. Delegating tasks to employees and providing them with the appropriate tools can show that you trust your employees’ work ability and judgment.
Incentive Programs
Hardworking employees like to be rewarded for a job well done. Incentives can motivate employees to work harder and stay consistent in their roles.
Offering rewards like bonuses, additional paid time off, gift cards, or work trips helps keep work fresh and exciting and motivates employees to continue their great work. Combined with the next morale booster, you have a recipe for enthusiastic and productive employees.
Recognition
People want to be recognized for their contributions and hard work. In any relationship, when people feel appreciated, they tend to become more engaged.
Company leaders should prioritize regular recognition and thank their employees frequently. Celebrating team and individual wins can help team members feel appreciated and confirm that they’re more than just a number to their company.
Turnover Rates
Turnover rates don’t just impact companies; it affects remaining employees as well. When a company can retain its employees better, work is more evenly distributed, and employees don’t have to fill in gaps as the team searches for new hires.
High retention rates allow employees to build stronger work bonds and achieve milestones. Likewise, high retention rates reduce stress and lead to less burnout throughout the company. Prioritizing employee morale can encourage high retention rates and create a secure, stable work environment for all employees.
Top Ideas to Boost Employee Morale
Employee Appreciation
The following are circumstances in which an employee can be recognized for a milestone, accomplishment, or otherwise.
1. Recognize the Employee of the Month
Employee of the Month is a practice that can be integrated easily into a multitude of organizations. Each month choose a worker that has exceeded expectations and acknowledge their hard work and success in a public forum.
2. Implement a Weekly Newsletter
A weekly newsletter allows for constant positive reaffirmation and transparency. In your weekly newsletter, include a few notable achievements and encourage workers to celebrate on their terms.
3. Observe Employee Work Anniversaries
Each employee adds unique value to the workplace. Recognize their growth and accomplishments in the workplace on their annual work anniversary with a small token of your appreciation.
4. Throw a Birthday Lunch
It’s your birthday — throw a party! Hold a birthday gathering for employees to kick back and enjoy their day.
5. Recognize Work with Promotions
Your employees work hard to advance corporate culture, improve business relations, increase company revenue, and more. Acknowledge these achievements with a well-deserved promotion.
6. Create a “Wow Wall”
Grand gestures are phenomenal. Nonetheless, remind your employees of the impact that they make with a Wow Wall. Pin positive client feedback, reports, completed projects, pictures, and positive affirmations for a quick confidence boost — just make sure it’s somewhere everyone can see.
7. Celebrate Significant Milestones
Employees spend a tremendous amount of time in the office; thus, they often spend days of celebration in the office. Help them celebrate significant milestones like an anniversary in the office.
8. Meet for a Morning Gathering
Set a goal-achieving mindset from the start of the day. Meet in a morning huddle with your team to share words of wisdom and motivation for the day.
9. Design Company Merchandise
Gift your employees with custom team swag to create a feeling of community and thank them for their hard work.
10. Tuition Reimbursement
Recognize your workers’ dedication to being the best that they can be by pursuing an education or seeking alternative education options. Show your appreciation with an education stipend or tuition reimbursement program to encourage them to continue growing.
Advanced Education at Desert Financial Credit Union
Desert Financial Credit Union has become the largest locally-based credit union in Arizona, and they provide full tuition coverage for Arizona State University (ASU). Committed to lifelong learning, Desert Financial offers both tuition reimbursement and a student loan repayment program for their employees.
11. Implement an Idea Box
Taking constructive feedback from employees is the greatest way to show your employees that their presence in the company matters. Implement an idea box so workers can intermittently drop off comments, concerns, and feedback.
In-Office Activities
Interrupt this monotonous wash, rinse, and repeat cycle with events that encourage a fun company culture. The following office event ideas can be held in the office with minimal interruption to the workday.
13. Plan a Spirit Week
Find your inner child with this grade school throwback. Plan dress-up days like “Decade’s Day” and “Company Colors Day” to cut loose and see how creative coworkers can get with each day.
The Ultimate Culture at Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity of Central Arizona is known for its strong internal team and award-winning culture. Changing lives bonds these employees together, making a stronger and more enjoyable work environment. This focus on culture helps their employees feel engaged and supported in their everyday work at the workplace.
14. Order a Catered Lunch
Leave the microwave meal at home and cater a feast for the company. In this setting, employees are encouraged to commune and meet peers whom they usually wouldn’t have access to.
15. Organize a Company Cook-Off
Discover the next Master Chef in your office with a friendly company cook-off competition.
16. Professional Development Workshops
Provide your employees with opportunities to grow professionally with special-topic professional development workshops. Employees have the opportunity to learn new skills and different avenues of promotion.
17. Throw a Puppy Party
Did you know that interacting with animals can decrease stress levels? Invite therapy dogs into the office for a much-needed decompression session.
18. Moderate a Fitness Competition
Health is wealth — encourage a healthy lifestyle with a friendly fitness competition. See who can travel the most steps in a workday, drink the most amount of water in a workweek, and more.
Wellness at Axon
At the tech company Axon, employees have access to Gym Pass, providing substantial discounts at numerous gyms nationwide and a selection of health and wellness apps offering services such as personal training and nutrition coaching. Additionally, employees can take part in a Wellness Tracking program, earning $250 per year in gift cards for logging health-related activities.
19. Compete in a Recycling Contest
Designate four team leaders to conduct a fierce office recycling competition. Each team chooses an item to recycle — plastic, paper, aluminum, or glass. See who can recycle the most items within a designated time to determine the winner.
20. Conduct a Canned Food Drive
Fire up workers’ competitive personalities and give back to the community. Divide the company into teams and hold a canned food drive for a food bank.
21. Throw a Food Truck Fest
Host a food truck fest for the organization and the local community. Company employees can bond and discover the diverse cuisine that your town has to offer.
22. Host a Meditation Function
Refresh midday with a 15-minute guided meditation amongst peers. A quick refresher can be precisely what you need to conquer the latter half of the day with vigor.
23. Organize a Potluck
Ask workers to supply their favorite dish that evokes strong memories for coworkers. The food serves as a strong talking point for coworkers to learn and understand each other’s upbringing or significant life experiences.
24. Start a Club
Invite employees to share their skills and hobbies with the organization. For example, if they are a talented musician, ask if they’d be willing to lead a music club.
Boost Your Employee Morale with BestCompaniesAZ
Now that you know what factors affect employee morale, it’s time to prioritize boosting employee morale. BestCompaniesAZ is here to help. We offer rich, engaging, and helpful resources to help make your company one of the best places to work in Arizona. You’ll find information about everything from festive ways to boost your employee morale year-round to flexible work arrangements for the future of work. Explore all of the resources BestCompaniesAZ has to offer today and learn more about some of Arizona’s top companies and their current open job opportunities.
