Are your employees enthusiastically participating in the weekly team meeting or are they just nodding along to the talking points, waiting to be dismissed?
It’s a fact that when employees feel overworked, under-appreciated, and ignored when they voice their opinions, a company is likely to become a revolving door for top talent.
While it’s important to boost company morale, not every organization can afford to offer similar incentives as some Fortune 500 companies. There’s plenty of ways to make sure that your employees feel satisfied while staying above your bottom line.
While it’s a given that a worthwhile team should be giving 110 percent every day, your star players will cut the amount of effort that they put into their duties in half if they feel that it’s just for a paycheck.
It’s imperative to reward the team members who go above and beyond. If you don’t have the funds in your budget to offer them a raise or a promotion, consider trying one or all of the following:
Your top performing employees might re-think leaving your company for a small, hip startup with an even bigger mission if they feel that the work they’re doing for your company is valuable. No one, especially younger employees, likes to feel like they’re in a dead-end job and just punching the clock every day.
A recent survey done by Deloitte’s Volunteer Impact Research team found that adults aged 21-35 are more likely to report job satisfaction if they felt that they were a part of a bigger mission at work.
Here are a few suggestions that might make your employees feel like they’re giving back to the community with the help of your organization:
If your team is peppered with self-motivated individuals that always produce results, consider offering the option to work from home a couple of times a week. It’s likely that your star players will perform even better if the daily stresses of office life, and a commute, are relieved throughout part of the work week.
You’re likely to see a dramatic decrease in turnover and office costs when you allow employees to work from home. You can expect to spend less on cubicles, desks, and general office equipment when a portion of your staff checks in remotely.
Employees are more likely to be loyal to companies when they feel that their employer respects their work/life balance. They’re able to schedule their work activities around their children’s sports events or recitals or their own doctor’s appointments and special dates.
It’s one thing to make your work a major part of your life in an effort to get ahead, but it’s another thing when an employee feels that their job has consumed their identity. Employees should feel as if their individual and personal interests are praised, and not looked down upon or seen as threats to the success of the company.
Acknowledge that your employees have other interests, and ask questions about their hobbies and passions. Your curiosity and encouragement will help them foster a sense of security and identity when they’re away from work. Employees will bring the passion that they have for their hobbies and interests into work each day.
Speaking of taking a step back from work, you can boost employee morale by giving them an opportunity to see you as a person. Invite your employees to low-pressure events and throw any talk of work out the window.
Inviting your staff out to drinks on you, or hosting an employee appreciation brunch, can help strengthen your relationship with them. Sitting in an intimate setting with their supervisor might make them feel like they can let their guard down and offer ideas that ultimately strengthen the company.
Once your employees feel like you respect who they are, and not just what they can bring to the table, take it a step further by celebrating your employee’s personal accomplishments. You should consider celebrating the following events with your team:
Are you having repeated conflicts among the staff? Nothing kills morale faster than when your employees dread seeing their coworkers five days a week.
Team building activities can help manage friction in the workplace. Here’s a few cost effective ways to include team building activities:
Asking your team for feedback can help boost morale as it will make them feel like there’s a solution to some of the problems they face at work. When employees feel like their supervisors take a vested interest in their problems in the workplace, they are more likely to be loyal to the company.
Companies that implement the information learned from employee feedback experienced a 14.9 percent decrease in turnover.
A small to mid-level organization has just as much potential to thrive in the business world as a Fortune 500 company, but the key to success is seeing the morale of your team as a priority, not an inconvenience.
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