Keeping Morale Up In A Dark Time

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The past year has seen more pressure placed on all of our shoulders. We’ve all had to adapt to new ways of living in the face of a global pandemic and it should be no surprise that a lot of us have struggled with that transition. However, an effective workplace is a high-spirited one. For the sake of motivation and engagement with the work, you need to ensure employee morale is kept high. So, how do you do it?

Stop asking more of them

There is only so far that the solidarity of shared struggle can go. It might be the case you have had to ask your team to hunker down and push through a tough spot or two over the last year. However, even if they’re getting an adequate reward for this extra effort, they do have a breaking point. The closer they get to it, the more their work is going to suffer. If you’re facing a period of high demand in the near future, then consider outsourcing it instead of adding it to your team’s plate.

 

Recognize their work

However, regardless of whether they’re going above and beyond, or they’re simply keeping up with a challenging time at work, it’s important that your employees feel like they are being seen and appreciated for the role that they play. Complimenting and thanking them alone can go a long way, but a full-fledged rewards and incentives system can help make it part of the company culture that good work always gets a reward. Not only will that reward lift spirits, but it keeps them motivated, too.

 

Check-in with them

Morale in the workplace is, in some part, tied very closely to the need for being valued as part of a group. If the workplace relies on typically hierarchical structures, such as managers and owners over employees and teams, then it’s important to make sure that one-on-one time is had between members of the different levels on a regular basis. Aside from just direct reports, giving your employees feedback on their performance and checking in on their work can make them feel like they are a valued member of the business, which improves their engagement with their work.

 

Take it outside the office

The team dynamic and the bonds between coworkers can be a huge driving factor in morale in the workplace for a lot of people. As such, you should encourage your team members to build the bonds that can help improve their connection with their workplace. Giving them the chance of interact outside the office, whether it be with a company picnic, a weekly meal together, or anything else that gets them talking about things beyond work, can be a huge boost to the emotional and mental health of the team.

 

It might not be in the specifics of the job description of being a business owner, but the emotional state of your employees is a concern. Fail to care for them and you are failing to care for your business.