15 Effective Ways to Boost Employee Morale (Updated for 2023)

Employee morale is the driving force behind your company’s success. 

Happy, engaged, and motivated employees are more likely to perform well, positively impacting productivity, customer satisfaction, and, ultimately, your bottom line. 

On the other hand, low morale leads to decreased productivity, more absenteeism, and high turnover – a big no-no for any business.

But no stress – we’ve got you sorted! 

Check out these 12 simple and effective ways to boost employee morale and motivate your team to put their best foot forward every day.

The Impact of Positive Employee Morale 

Happy and motivated employees are the driving force behind your company’s success. 

To break it down, positive employee morale: 

• Leads to increased workplace productivity, efficiency, and quality of work. 
• Keeps your company afloat during hard times. As opposed to a demotivated workforce, your team will likely make every effort to help you succeed if morale is high.
• Helps attract and retain top talent. Positive work environments and happy employees can be your greatest hiring asset. You can even involve employees in your hiring process.  
• Helps reduce your business costs. Think of this domino effect: high employee morale reduces absences, workplace stress, and accidents, resulting in less paid time off. 

6 Common Causes of Low Employee Morale

Before we look at ways to boost work morale, let’s understand where low employee morale comes from.

Poor communication between you and your employees can lead to misunderstandings, confusion, and feelings of isolation.

After all, without proper internal communication, it is nearly impossible for your team to understand what is expected of them, see the larger picture, or even understand what is going on in the company in the first place.

Especially remote-working teams are prone to feeling disconnected, out of the loop, and voiceless.

People feeling this way become disengaged and unmotivated to do their best.

Low staff morale can stem from a lack of professional and personal growth opportunities. Employees can become bored, unmotivated, and disengaged without development opportunities or new challenges. As a result, employees may eventually leave for a more challenging position.

Changes such as restructuring, layoffs, or mergers can create uncertainty and anxiety among employees, leading to job insecurity, mistrust, and low morale. 

Similarly, company policies, procedures, or leadership changes can cause confusion and frustration if not communicated effectively. Overall, when your company culture changes, so does staff morale.

More often than not, poor leadership causes low employee morale, so those in leadership positions must understand how their behavior affects the team. A poor leadership style can manifest in many ways, such as micromanagement, lack of feedback, inconsistency, or favoritism. 

When leaders fail to inspire, guide, and support their teams effectively, employees can become disengaged, demotivated, and disconnected.

Appreciation is a feeling we all crave – and your staff is no exception.

When you fail to recognize and reward your staff for their hard work, they will feel undervalued or overlooked.

As a result, they will become disengaged and disinterested in their work, which will negatively affect morale and demotivate them from doing their best.

Poor work-life balance can lead to low employee morale, stress, burnout, and disengagement – AKA an unhappy workforce. 

Factors contributing to this issue include a lack of scheduling flexibility, long hours, excessive workloads, and unrealistic expectations.

12 Ways to Boost Employee Morale

Unleash the Full Potential of Your Business with Connecteam’s All-in-One Management Software

Communicating is vital in setting clear expectations and empowering employees to perform their job without the guesswork or unnecessary back and forth, saving time, mistakes, and frustration. Openly and regularly communicating with your team further shows them you care and enhances engagement.

Start by scheduling regular meetings with each employee to check in with them, communicate expectations, discuss progress, and clear up any confusion. 

Also, share company news, achievements, and issues to allow your team to see the larger picture.

The right digital tools can significantly boost employee morale in several ways.

An employee management app gives your team the tools to perform their jobs more efficiently, reducing frustration, helping them feel supported, and upping job satisfaction.

In addition, it provides a centralized platform for keeping your team connected and engaged wherever they are working from.

And that’s just the beginning.

Connecteam is a great example of an all-in-one employee app with features for anything from sharing engaging company news, updates, and shoutouts on your company feed to delivering mobile training and onboarding courses for your team to complete on the go.

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Connecteam is the perfect tool to establish a regular drumbeat to drive morale that’s infused in your company culture. 

Be as transparent as possible. 

Don’t attempt to hide problems or avoid conversations when morale is low, or you’ll do more damage. Your employees will respect honesty while you work together to fix any issues. Inform them about company updates, new protocols, customer feedback, and more.

Appreciation is a feeling we all crave – and your employees are no exception.

Be sure to recognize your staff for their achievements and celebrate a job well done – however big or small. This way, you’ll make them feel valued and seen, boost their morale, and inspire them to keep up the good work.

Instead of waiting for Employee Appreciation Day, keep your employees feeling appreciated all year round by creating an employee recognition program.If you’re looking for a quick and easy solution – Connecteam’s Recognition & Rewards are the perfect way to put your employees in the spotlight, reward their hard work, and promote a culture of excellence!

Showing your staff that you value their input is essential to employee satisfaction and motivation. 

When employees feel heard, they are more committed to their work, trust their employer, and feel meaningful to the company. Therefore, collecting and acting upon employee feedback will improve morale, performance, and retention. 

And another plus? You can use these insights to make better decisions to improve your workplace and daily operations.

To keep your workforce motivated and satisfied, it’s essential to invest in their professional and personal development. This is partly because better-trained employees are more confident in their work and workplace.

And remember: providing good training and development opportunities will enable your team to develop their skills, produce high-quality work, and become more valuable assets to your organization. It’s a win-win.
Want to simplify employee training by delivering custom courses right to your team’s mobile phones? Check out Connecteam’s Training & Onboarding!

Sure, pushing yourself and your team to the limit sounds like the right thing to do, but it won’t work in the long run. 

Your goal should instead be to maintain a productive, driven, and positive work environment while keeping stress on the low and promoting a healthy work-life balance. You can offer an employee assistance program (EAP) to help your team work through issues that may impact their health, wellness, or work performance.

By providing managers with the skills and knowledge they need to lead effectively, they can create a more positive and supportive work environment. This, in turn, can increase employee engagement, motivation, and job satisfaction.

Therefore be sure to train all your managers in emotional intelligence, communication, giving feedback and recognition, and different leadership styles.

Team-building activities are a fun way to promote a positive and collaborative work culture, open communication, and out-of-the-box thinking. They further provide a break from daily work tasks, reducing stress and promoting job satisfaction. 

Activities like group outings, charity events, and games help employees relax, have fun with colleagues, and develop a positive outlook. Even if you’re managing employees from afar, you’ve got options! Check out these team-building games for remote-working teams!

Taking regular breaks allow employees to refresh and refocus. Even short breaks throughout the day help reduce stress levels and avoid burnout, increasing job satisfaction and overall happiness at work. 

Regular breaks further allow employees to socialize with colleagues, boosting relationships and teamwork. 

By promoting a culture of taking breaks, employers can demonstrate that they value their employees’ well-being and work-life balance, which can help to foster a positive and supportive workplace culture.

By promoting workplace diversity, your employees will feel and understand that thinking outside the box or being different is an asset to the company. A Forbes article notes that “teams and companies that make diversity a priority offer a variety of ideas, perspectives, and learning opportunities. Diverse employees (such as a multigenerational workforce or working with Generation Z) can bring together their different talents, experiences, and various skill sets to come up with creative and inventive solutions, whereas another group made up of people with similar backgrounds and skill sets may decide to solve a dilemma in the same way they always have.”

Though it might sound silly, research shows that people with greenery in the workplace feel better about their job and the work they perform compared to those who don’t. 

Plants can improve work morale by purifying the air, reducing stress, and creating a more aesthetically pleasing environment. It shows the employer’s commitment to a healthy and pleasant work setting, leading to higher employee morale and productivity.

So run down to your local nursery and buy some plants that don’t require lots of water or sun!

The Bottom Line On Employee Morale

Your ability to boost employee morale is the key to nurturing a happy and productive workforce and, ultimately, a successful business.

With the right tools and strategies, you can create a workplace culture that promotes employee morale and motivates your team to perform at their best. And remember, boosting employee morale is an ongoing process that requires consistent effort and attention.

So don’t wait; start implementing these strategies today and watch your employees thrive!

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