Shawnee Love   •  
May 23, 2014

Last week we shared a simple way to understand the morale in your team.  This week we look at how to improve morale, because improvements in morale lead to better retention, easier recruiting, higher productivity, lower absenteeism, reduced shrinkage, enhanced quality and of course happier customers and more sales.  In fact, it is difficult to find an area of business that isn’t more successful if morale amongst the staff is high.

Here are a few of my favourite morale boosters because they are simple, can fit any budget, and highly effective:

• Enhance the physical environment- Invest in visible / tangible things that make the work space more comfortable and your employees will feel invested in.
  • Add plants.  Even silk ones can be an improvement, but go for real ones for the best bang for your buck. Not only are they adding oxygen, i.e., the original red bull, but they purify the air, and believe it or not, people respond to them positively on an energetic level.
  • Renovate/ Re-decorate. Make sure the walls are clean and bright, add pictures, and get rid of clutter.  Make the space look appealing.
  • Make sure you don’t stint on health or safety and that includes heat and light and tools and gear that protects workers from danger.  Nothing kills morale more than a seriously hurt coworker.
  • Upgrade technology, furniture. Get rid of those taped up chair cushions and clunky computers in favour of new ones.
  • Break down doors and walls in favour of open spaces and not only does air flow improve, but so does communication.  However, don’t do it like the pointy haired boss would.
• Connect each person to the big picture. Each person in your company needs to know why his or her job is important.  Then, go one step further and explain what it is each employee does that you really appreciate in the context of the big picture.
• Recognize your people. Get to know them and acknowledge them when you see them. Thank them for their efforts, a job well done, and even for just trying.  Pretend you are a volunteer coordinator instead of a boss a day each week and treat everyone how you would if you didn’t have money to pay them.
• Communicate.  Tell the truth. Deliver hard messages kindly and share success stories.  Recognize that people take in messages in many ways, so as a leader you have to get good at multi pronged communication approaches, i.e., using multiple forms of media, repetition, and a variety of times and styles, in order to figure out what gets the message out to all of your people.

And finally, another great way to enhance morale is to ask what your employees want (perhaps we can help you with a survey), and then find a way to make it happen.  My bet is that you will discover your employees want communication, recognition and inclusion more than rewards and status.

 The best things in life aren’t things~ Art Buchwald, American Author (1925-2007)