What’s morale got to do with it?

One of the most coveted and competitive advantages for an organisation today is to have a highly motivated workforce. Previously, we’ve discussed employee engagement and getting team members personally “invested” in your organisation. However, there is another often overlooked yet just as important factor – your organisations general morale. From a human resources point of view, morale can include employee job satisfaction, outlook and general feeling of well-being in the work place.

How happy are the people working for you?

A number of studies including ones by The Saratoga Institute, Gallup, and Career Systems International, have all found that employee morale has a direct effect on productivity (one of the corner stones of any business) and that managers play a significant role in employee morale.

In this week’s Curran & Associates blog, we want to share some tips that can help boost staff morale. Thoughtful efforts that enhance morale can also increase employee loyalty towards your organisation, and over time will see a noticeable rise in productivity.

Motivation and Morale

Motivation and morale go hand in hand. If you as a manager work on lifting your employee’s morale then you will be rewarded by a team that is more motivated to perform well and stay with you. Making the job more meaningful, giving employees adequate authority and responsibility, and promoting innovation, creativity and growth are some of the ways to lift your staff’s morale.

This week’s tips for managers

• Express Gratitude & Celebrate Successes – acknowledging and highlighting wins (however small) creates positivity - an excellent pre-requisite for motivation, engagement, and overall employee morale. Remember to give credit to those who have introduced great ideas and completed special projects. A little thank-you note does not cost a penny, and it can work wonders for the morale of an employee. It is easy to ignore such small gestures in a high-pressure work environment, but they can make a crucial difference to employee motivation.

• Set realistic goals – savvy leaders understand that too much pressure can lead to undue stress which can impact team performance. Set goals that will stretch staff capability but keep them within the realms of possibility. A good manager should know their team members well enough to identify what realistic means for them individually so that they can draw out their best performance.

• Put up a bulletin board – construct a bulletin board at your place of business to recognise employees through letters, memos, pictures, thank you cards, and other methods.

• Organise parties & days out - Sometimes a manager can throw a surprise party for their team, or organise a day-out for them as recognition for good team performance. Employees receive such gestures positively, and it helps to establish a human touch to your organisation which is critical for employee morale

• Offer work-life related perks and benefits – whether it be being accommodating of family or other outside of work commitments or encouraging active and healthy lifestyles through yoga classes or other activities, it is the sum of these little things that can really raise your employee’s morale.

It’s important to remember that there is no silver bullet for staff morale. Each organisation has its own culture and knows what type of people it wants to attract and retain. Hopefully some of these tips will work for you.

How does your workplace boost staff morale? Share your tips in our comments box below.

#employeemorale #satisfaction #motivation #employeeengagement