Business

Employee Of The Year: How To Boost Morale In Your Workspace

workplace

No one needs to be reminded that we spend more time working than we do in our own personal lives. Although, if you love what you do and belong to a great workplace there is no problem spending your Monday to Friday working. Offices with low morale will find a disengaged workforce who fail to come together and meet common goals. Today we are going to look at some ways you can boost office morale so that you can have more fun while you work and benefit from the force of a happy, connected workforce.

Coffee and free refreshments

Sure, there are always management changes and optimisations to make to boost office morale, but you cannot go past the power of great coffee. Providing things like a great workplace coffee machine and fresh coffee beans for the office will allow your team to arrive earlier, make a coffee and linger in the communal spaces as they socialise. When you consider the growing cost of barista coffee, this is a benefit that will not be overlooked by your staff. It also means that they spend more time within the workplace.

You can take this a step further and provide a range of milk and milk alternatives so that all tastes and dietary requirements are looked after. You may also want to order an office box of fruit so that your team can enjoy fresh produce at work and save money on their grocery bills.

Team activities

So many workplace friendships are forged at the office Christmas party, a sporadic lunch out or any activity that happens outside of working hours. Work to facilitate these events so that you can create space for your employees to “blow off steam”, and get to know one another outside of the office. These team activities also communicate to your team that you are invested in their fun and wellbeing and not only concerned with productivity and profit.

It might also be a nice touch to leave the team activity a little bit earlier so your employees can enjoy their time without the owner or manager hanging around – as some employees can be influenced by this sort of company.

Inject some fun into the working day

Now that we have covered some ideas for outside work hours, it’s time to look at injecting some fun into work hours. Do not overthink this, as work still needs to be done! Install some sound systems around the office and play some work-friendly playlists, and then switch them out for fun music as you get closer to Friday. You might also like to get some flatscreens in the office and give your employees the freedom to choose what they way to watch throughout the day. Having the news playing on mute is a great way to have your employees connected to the outside world, and it shows that you trust them to work while also consuming media.

You can also boost morale by having fun activities on Friday. Invest in a bar cart that you can wheel around the office for employees to enjoy a drink, or maybe you can order a takeaway lunch for the office on a nominated day.

Conduct an employee engagement survey

Your employees may cringe when you send around the employee engagement survey, but they really are such an effective instrument in gauging the mood and sentiment of a workplace. They contain a series of questions about the organisation, the immediate office, coworkers, management and detailed questions within each of these areas. You might find that your poor office morale is not about the lack of social activities, but perhaps the bonus scheme is too unrealistic and it’s making staff feel disengaged.

It is important to remember that this survey is 100% anonymous and so your employees should feel supported in knowing that their experiences and insights are totally protected. There will be no management member aware of who said what, so you should expect to see employees empowered to give honest feedback.

Review your business plan, goals and values

When was the last time you reviewed your business plan? Is it sitting in a hard drive somewhere? Well, you are not alone as many of us fail to review and update our business plans, goals and values to align with internal and external changes. If you are due to review your own, include your employees in this process and have them contribute to what your business looks like and aims for. Business values are a very important facet of your business, as this is how you are going to attract new talent and clients. Spend some time workshopping these parts of your business and let your employees steer the narrative so they can feel connected to your mission.

Each workplace is going to require a different approach to improve workplace morale. Consider these ideas and be sure to make it a collaborative effort so everyone’s thoughts are heard.

Chandra Shekar

I'm a tech enthusiast who loves exploring the world of digital marketing and blogging. Sharing my thoughts to help others make the most out of their online presence. Come join me on this journey to discover the latest trends in technology and digital media.
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