If you're wondering how to improve employee morale, you've come to the right place. Employee morale is one of the most asked-about topics in the world of company culture.
High morale only occurs when employees feel taken care of and appreciated. And because this past year has been filled with stressful distractions, ensuring your employees get the support they need to be their best selves each day is more important than ever.
We talked to some human resources professionals to see how they measure and improve employee morale at their offices.
In the video below, you'll see how these HR managers and wellness directors are hard at work keeping morale high in their offices. Their methods vary, but their morale-boosting tactics have some fundamental similarities.
Related: What is Company Culture (And Does it Matter?)
Proven Ideas to Boost Employee Morale
How to Measure Morale
Is it possible to measure happiness? That's up for debate. But our HR experts know that a little data can go a long way. Regular employee satisfaction and engagement surveys are essential.
To improve employee morale in the workplace, you have to understand your baseline. Start with employee satisfaction surveys and understand the top contributors to employee happiness.
With multiple-choice and open-ended questions, these surveys allow management teams to understand what's working and not working for their employees.
Video Interview
In the video, you'll see how these HR experts run their employee surveys and the kinds of questions they ask, plus other employee morale ideas (a throwback to our Incorporate Massage days!).
5 Easy Employee Morale Boosters
We asked our wellness leaders what they do to improve employee morale.
Their ideas run the gamut from big fun parties to little treats at work. Here are some of the ideas below:
1. Ask for feedback
65% of employees want more feedback at work! Employees want to know where they stand. Especially in a remote work environment, employees need to get guidance and feedback so have a clear idea of what is expected of them and if they are meeting those expectations.
Creating a culture of feedback starts with you and your company managers. You can also encourage employees to give shout-outs for a job well done.
This list of 7 types of feedback from Leaders.com may help you generate some employee feedback ideas:
- Appreciation Feedback
- Guidance Feedback
- Encouragement Feedback
- Forward Feedback
- Coaching Feedback
- Informal Feedback
- Formal Feedback
2. Train managers to coach and encourage employees
Training your managers on giving helpful feedback and talking about mental health at work is essential to boost morale and improve company culture.
When employees feel like they can talk about their mental health, it can help employees feel a lot more comfortable at work. In turn, morale, engagement, and productivity increase.
Not sure where to start? The Nivati Manager Training Handbook can help!
3. Show employees you appreciate them
Here are some ways to show employees your appreciation:
- Hold a picnic party
- Bring an ice cream truck or food truck to work
- Bring in a massage at work program
- Provide a mental health program
- Give employee gifts around the holidays
- Provide a mental health day
4. Ensure employees have the resources to do their job well
This could mean providing fast and up-to-date computers, ergonomic desks that prevent desk job pain, PTO time, childcare, and a myriad of other things.
Remember that employee survey? Ask employees if they have all the tools, they need to work well.
5. Make one-on-ones with direct reports a must
Manager one-on-ones are one of the best ways to help employees feel connected to your organization.
Spend one-on-one time getting to know each other personally and talking about work matters. The important thing is that direct reports and managers spend time connecting.
Related: How to Boost Employee Morale in 2022
Here are some bonus employee wellness tool ideas:
- Virtual Yoga
- Guided Meditation
- 24/7 Mental Health Counseling
- 24/7 Nutrition Counseling
- Financial Wellness Tools
Disclaimer
By participating in/reading the service/website/blog/email series on this website, you acknowledge that this is a personal website/blog and is for informational purposes and should not be seen as mental health care advice. You should consult with a licensed professional before you rely on this website/blog’s information. All things written on this website should not be seen as therapy treatment and should not take the place of therapy or any other health care or mental health advice. Always seek the advice of a mental health care professional or physician. The content on this blog is not meant to and does not substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
