Employees are the backbone of your company and having motivated employees with high morale is one way to help your business thrive. Employees who enjoy coming to work and genuinely enjoy their time there is great for your work culture and, in turn, great for your business.
Motivating employees and boosting morale can be challenging as every employee will be driven by different things. Some people are driven by personal development or career progression, others by their paycheck and bonuses.
Regardless of what motivates your team, we have found seven actions that will help to keep all your staff’s morale high, regardless of their personal motivations.
Lend A Hand
We’ve all felt overwhelmed at times, and your staff are no exception to this. Workload, inexperience in an assigned task or a personal issue leaking into work, can all contribute to deflated morale. But, before you reprimand offer to help and watch your overwhelmed employee uplift. We’ve found that this offer can boost positivity instantly and, even if the offer isn’t taken up, it is always appreciated.
Leadership By Example
This is, by no means, a new concept, but leadership by example is one of the best ways to ensure morale is kept at an all-time high. Staying positive and putting on a strong front, even when you’re having a bad day, shows your team that no matter what is going on, a good attitude, some will power, and a strong work ethic will always help when getting through a tough day. This strong front is essential to being a good leader and your employees and business will be better for it.
Get Input
Most staff want to be actively involved in the place they work at. After all, they spend a lot of time there. So, let them contribute and have their say. Whether it is in the form of decision making or simply just being informed, be sure to get staff involved at all levels of your business. They will enjoy it and you get the benefit of having more ideas as well as developing sounding boards who already know your business. Encouraging critical thinking and for ideas on the tough decision that you can’t make on your own, your staff are a great asset, plus getting their input will reduce complaining when the hard decisions are made.
Reduce Communication
This point might seem out of place, especially following the last point, but rather than reducing communication on big issues, here we’re talking more about the constant calls, emails and desk drop-bys. I know it can be tough but reducing the small communication points with your employees will give your team time to get on top of their workload and shows that you trust them to work autonomously, which is a huge morale booster. This will also help create structure and add values to the meetings that do take place.
Incentivise
This action is especially for your staff who are motivated to smash targets. Set KPIs that push your team and reward them for their efforts. Make your KPIs tough but achievable (a target and stretch target are a great way to do this). Nothing is more morale-boosting than achieving a group target. If you’re not sure how to create realistic KPIs, ask your accountant to help with these numbers.
Work/Life Balance
Unlike your usual work/life balance concept of a neatly packaged 9am to 5pm work hours, this is a more long-term work/life balance idea. Most people think leaving work at 5pm each day is the only definition of work/life balance and that if your workday last longer than 8 hours, you’re slaving away with little reward. However, for a lot of employees, having the opportunity to put in the hard yards early in their career to afford a more relaxed working style or higher level of achievement is well worth the short-term sacrifices. Providing avenues for professional development, self-education or having the opportunity to work enough to smash your goals so they can create the best future for their families is also supporting your employee’s work/life balance. After all, time is your employee’s biggest asset.
High Fives and Butt Slaps
Not literally the butt slaps (or it will lead to all sorts of HR issues) but think more along the lines of providing positive feedback. Tell your staff when they have done well and mean it. Something as simple as a thank you, high five or thumbs up can be the difference between a hard-working employee and a happy and motivated employee who’s morale is infectious. At the end of the day, staff appreciate being appreciated, it’s as simple as that.
Having employees who are motivated and have high morals are one of the best assets for your business. Whether it’s helping a team member out, trusting your staff to work autonomously or providing your employees with an avenue to work hard towards their goals, boosting the morale of your team, regardless of their overall motivators, is something that anyone in management can do.
Want to know more about morale, business or need help setting your team’s KPIs? Contact our office on 07 3367 3155 or email Nick Hill at nick@walkerhill.com.au to organise a meeting.
