Boost Employee Morale

In this blog post, I list 5 ways that you can boost employee morale in your organization. As a leader, ensuring that positive employee morale exists on our team is a part of our responsibilities. Will there be times when our employees get discouraged or upset? Sure, but those times should not be a regular occurrence in our workplace.

Here are 5 Tips to Boost Employee Morale

Tip 1# Get to know your employees individually.

This means that you should know more about them than just their name and job function. I remember once seeing an experienced manager do this when she was placed on a new team. The team members knew each other already, but none of them knew the new manager. She invited the team to lunch and used it as an opportunity to get to know the employees outside of the office.

I should note that the point of getting to know your employees better is NOT to become their friend. As a leader, you will always need to have appropriate boundaries, so that employees continue to respect you. The purpose of meeting in an informal setting is to allow you to interact with your employees in a relaxed environment. Additionally, it will help you get to know your employee’s individual personalities.

Tip #2 Promote Professional Development.

I have seen employee professional development plans implemented both correctly and incorrectly. The correct way to encourage professional development, is to allow the employee to determine their own future goals. It is important that the leader is supportive of the employee’s aspirations, and that the leader provides advice or guidance on how the employee can attain their goals.

As a leader it is important that you exude a growth mindset in the workplace. Additionally, you should keep succession planning in mind. This is because, as you help employees grow and get promoted, they will eventually need to be replaced. Employees like to see growth opportunities in an organization, and they tend to remain with these companies longer.

Tip #3 Educate your employees on how to resolve conflict.

Workplace conflict is inevitable; however, it should not disrupt the work environment. Both you and your employees need to assume “positive intent” when it comes to conflict. This means, that you should assume that the other person you are in conflict with, is not intentionally trying to be hurtful or harmful.

Additionally, it is good to learn about different personality types and how they play out in the workforce, as well as learning the different communication styles. Lastly, you or a trainer could train your staff on conflict resolution skills. When I learned about the different core personality types, communication styles, and conflict resolution skills, it truly took my leadership to the next level.

Tip #4 Engage in Teambuilding Activities.

These are wonderful opportunities for employees to bond and to get to know each other. Some of the best teambuilding activities can take place outside of the work environment. I remember completing teambuilding volunteer activities (building homes, feeding the homeless, teaching teenagers about business, etc.).

We also had various business trips and outings, potluck days, and friendly team competitions. All of these helped to remove us from the day-to-day stress of work. It reminded us, that at the end of the day we were all just regular people.

Tip #5 Get rid of staff with negative attitudes.

Now this one can feel tough but hear me out. You will need to determine if the employee can turn their negative attitude around. This is where having an individual relationship with an employee is helpful. First, determine if the negative attitude stems from work or a situation outside of work. It is not necessary for the employee to divulge personal details of their life (unless they choose to do so of their own free will).

Supporting Employees and Boosting Morale

If it is a situation outside of the workplace that is affecting the employee, then do what you can to support them. Also, if there is counseling available as an employee benefit, you can mention it to the employee.

If the negative attitude stems directly from the workplace, this is where professional development becomes handy.

Try to determine if they are in the wrong position. Are they discouraged? are they not a good fit for the team/ company? As a manager, you may need to have a frank conversation with the employee to tell them how you perceive their attitude in the workplace. Next, discuss a plan to help them get to the job, industry, etc. they want to be a part of. It is better to do this, than to have the employee negatively impact the rest of the team.

My Experience with Employee Morale

I once had an employee who was highly intelligent, but he was in the wrong job. Because he was so intelligent, he became bored easily and began surfing the web during work, which was not allowed. The IT team captured his online activities and I had to place him on a corrective action plan (per company policy).

Prior to this, I had conversations with him about his interests and encouraged him to look for another position that was better suited for his unique skills. He chose to remain on the job and was eventually terminated. A few months later I received a very warm note from him saying how much he enjoyed working with me and his former team. This really warmed my heart, because as a leader I wanted the best for him. I wanted him to be successful in a job that was right for him. Even to this day more than 10 years later, I still have previous members of that team refer to me as “Boss Lady”.

I have had to have tough conversations, encourage employees, and even rebuild a dysfunctional team. And although it may take some time, you too can build a healthy team and legacy as a leader. When you boost employee morale, you will see positive changes in your team’s productivity and in the overall work environment.

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