Simple Ways To Improve Staff Morale

Morale doesn’t just show how happy your employees are. It is a direct reflection of how healthy your company culture is, how well you and other leaders communicate with teams and how effective your managers are.

High morale only happens when employees feel cared for by their company. And with this year being full of stressful distractions, it’s more important than ever to make sure your employees are getting the support they need to perform their best every day.

Here are six ways you can contribute to a thriving culture and continually boost staff morale throughout the year.

1.Encourage regular one-to-one meetings

One of the most effective ways to improve employee morale is through regular communication. In 15Five’s latest Workplace Report, we found that 82% of employees with at least weekly one-on-one meetings say they get the support they need from their managers during the pandemic, compared to 66% of those with less frequent one-on-ones. But regularly sharing with your teams and ensuring managers do the same with their direct reports can feel impossible without the right tools and day-to-day practices.

Giving your managers a structure for better one-on-one meetings will help them get the most out of every meeting. They will spend less time catching up and more time on the core of the conversation, which can lead to higher levels of trust, engagement, and productivity.

2.Give employees the tools to ask for feedback.

Traditionally, the process of feedback has been led by managers to help employees course correct and grow. But in reality, the best way to increase the free flow of feedback is by helping employees seek it themselves.

“Asking for feedback is a surprisingly powerful approach to self-development, especially when it is part of basic performance management. It can even be considered an achievement – the final step of a project. Regardless, by asking for feedback, teams can show the care that everyone needs to feel engaged,” says Gallup.

By helping people ask for feedback in the moments they need it most, they can take the reins of their development so they can master new skills and correct certain behaviors in a fraction of the time. And nothing motivates people more than seeing their own progress.

3.Train your managers to be better coaches

When you teach your managers to seek out the unique talents of their employees, you foster an environment that builds on those qualities, which helps companies stay agile even in tough times. Managers can put this approach into practice by helping employees create job descriptions that align their passions with the companies why. This naturally increases employee morale, engagement, and productivity.

Effective managers not only push for high performance, but they also value helping employees discover their natural talents and look for opportunities to leverage those strengths. This not only unlocks a deeper, more intrinsic type of motivation for employees but also enables managers to increase the performance of their teams.

4.Help your employees to develop – both personally and professionally

For your employees to be successful in their roles, you need to provide them with all the tools and resources they need to do their jobs well. This includes professional training. You can practice this from an employee’s first day and beyond by creating a knowledge base of important information and best practices for new employees as you grow your team.

Remote employees may not have the same opportunities to ask one-off questions at your desk, so creating a thorough training plan is especially important to get them up and running.

But remember that your employees don’t just work for your company professionally. For them to develop personally as well as professionally, employee development needs to be holistic. Help your employees lead more fulfilling lives by encouraging them to develop better soft skills, such as empathy, emotional intelligence, and communication. This will also prepare them for future leadership roles.

5.Show your employees how much you value them

Studies show that high-performing teams are far more helpful and polite than low-performing teams. And when leaders recognize their employees’ strengths and contributions, they are far more engaged, productive and creative.

What makes appreciation so powerful is that it is contagious when shared. By saying a quick thank you or simply acknowledging an employee’s hard work, you can boost morale almost immediately. In addition, regular recognition can ease some of the day-to-day tensions that employees may be experiencing today.

6.Don’t forget to have fun

There are times when you need to be serious, and times when it just makes more sense to relax, laugh and bond with your team.

Find ways to bring more of your true self to work and look for opportunities to get to know your teams on a more personal level. Bringing more of your authentic self to the office will make you more personable and approachable. And when you let your teams know that you are a person and not just a leader, you also communicate that you see them as more than just employees.

When your employees feel supported and encouraged to do their best work, they can do it with confidence. Take these tips to heart and take the right steps to keep staff morale high all year round.