By: Sue Cole
Over the summer, many might find that business is slow. As customers, employees and executives take vacations, revenues often decrease while necessary paperwork may sit in a vacationing employee’s inbox. Morale can be low as everyone comes to the harsh realization that it really is time to get back to business.
Studies have proven that when morale is high, production increases. That, in turn, reflects positively as more upbeat employees interact with customers, with each other and with top level execs throughout the company. On the flip side, when morale is low, employee turnover increases as employees feel disenfranchised, disrespected or disregarded.
If you find that after the Labor Day weekend, your company’s overall morale is low, think about what you can do to improve everyone’s perspective. An article titled, “How Do I Increase Employee Morale & Decrease Turnover?” from the Chron.com Small Business page offers the following solutions:
Step 1
Implement an employee recognition program so that rewards the work of your employees. The program should acknowledge the individual accomplishments and contributions of your workers. Avoid giving prizes to the same people repeatedly. Take note of even the smallest improvements in each of your employees and reward those positive changes.
Step 2
Conduct regular employee surveys to gauge the opinions and beliefs of your workers. These surveys should anonymously ask questions about the company environment and relations with co-workers. Seek information that can help you make improvements to increase morale. Be open to comments and take swift, specific actions to correct issues that come up repeatedly in the survey.
Step 3
Listen to your employees during their reviews instead of simply delivering your opinions and feedback. Sometimes low morale develops because employees don’t feel that their opinions matter.
Step 4
Include your employees in important company decisions instead of simply assigning duties. You may find that involving an employee in management-level decisions will boost morale and make your employee more committed to a long-term relationship with the company
For smaller businesses tips for increasing morale might be as simple as:
• Throwing a monthly luncheon or even a pizza party where you sit down with your employees to discuss company topics including wins and losses; be open to suggestions about what can be done to increase wins
• As an owner or executive, making yourself known and available to employees is key; stop by their desks and ask how they’re doing (make sure they know that you’re not “checking on them”)
• Keep an open door policy so that employees know that they can talk with you at any time
• Placing a suggestion box near the coffee machine and really reading and implementing great suggestions
Again, as summer ends, morale can be low but in reality, low morale can occur at any time. Following the simple tips above can improve morale, increase productivity and make for a more satisfying working environment overall.
If you’d like to talk to us about a strategic plan or even tactics to improve your company’s management, contact us right away to talk about our creative strategies and proven tactics to improve your sales team’s performance or your overall employees’ morale.
