How to Create Positive Morale in the Workplace
Solicit advice from your workers., Float new policies by your workers., Congratulate staff on their accomplishments., Be sensitive in your workplace communication., Be clear and direct in your workplace communications., Show your workers you care...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Solicit advice from your workers.
Get to know your workers and encourage feedback regarding what they like and do not like at work.
If many workers cite a similar workplace element as positive, work to expand or emphasize it.For instance, if many workers like the automatic staplers because they are superior to manual staplers, get a few more and stash them around the office in accessible locations.
Conversely, if many workers find something at work irritating or unpleasant, work to remedy or remove it.
For instance, if your workers do not like the piped-in music played over the loudspeakers, turn it off and replace it with different music.
Never leave concerns unanswered, or offer vague or dismissive answers along the lines of, “That isn’t important.” -
Step 2: Float new policies by your workers.
Whenever possible, ask for feedback before implementing new policies – especially those that affect workers.If your workplace policies meet widespread resistance, amend or toss them.
Bad policies and feelings of powerlessness destroy workplace morale., When your workers do a great job, let them know.
Say “Thanks for doing that” or “Great job” regularly.Provide more formal recognition when the scale of the accomplishment is greater.For instance, if one worker, or a team of workers, has been pulling double duty to meet a deadline, call a meeting and ask them to stand.
Lead the group in a round of applause for their efforts.
If your staff attains some significant milestone – for instance, perhaps they’ve manufactured a combined one million widgets for automobiles – draw attention to this accomplishment in your regularly scheduled meetings or in the employee newsletter.If you are not in a management position, you can create positive morale in the workplace by congratulating your coworkers when they receive positive recognition, and by thanking them for helping you out. , Generally, provide more positive than negative feedback.
If there is something wrong with a worker’s performance, let them know in a private place.
Do not embarrass or berate them in front of their peers.Emphasize your worker’s strengths and avoid accusatory language.
If your workers need to change something, describe the behavior you want to change rather than the worker.If you are not in a management position, you can create positive morale in the workplace by being sensitive to your coworkers’ feelings.
Do not accuse them of being lazy or sloppy in their work.
Instead, use positive language and gentle suggestions to alert them to your displeasure.
For instance, if your coworker wants feedback on a low-quality project, you might say, “This could use a little more work.” , Do not dance around an issue or use vague language when describing a problem.
This is especially true if there is a development that affects everyone in your place of work.
For instance, if your company experiences a merger or bankruptcy, let your workers know as soon as possible either in an email or a meeting.
This will help maintain trust and boost morale, even in difficult times., If your workers believe you care about them and their well-being, workplace morale might improve.
You can encourage this belief by sending a signed card, flowers, or gift card to workers on their birthdays.
Inquire about your employees’ families and hobbies.For instance, greet your employees in a friendly manner each day.
Ask, “How are you?” If they have children, ask “How are the kids?” If they are in a relationship, ask “How is ?” , Often, a workplace has low morale because people cannot see the higher purpose toward which they are working.
Remind your employees regularly that their work is important and valuable, and without it, their community and the world would be far poorer.For instance, if you’re running a publishing house, remind your employees that your educational materials are helping kids learn.
If you are not in a management position, you can help your coworkers see the big picture by expressing gratitude for your job.
You might say to your coworkers, “We are really providing a valuable service.” , Discourage shouting, name-calling, and other negative behavior in the workplace.
Identify and root out workplace bullies – those workers or other managers who embarrass, harass, or otherwise unfairly target certain workers for whatever reason.
Discipline their behavior appropriately and dismiss them if necessary., When you and your workers can give back together at local community organizations, their morale might improve.
Through such an experience, you and your workers will come away with a sense of having united for a greater good, and will use the experience to reflect on how lucky they are.Contact local food banks, low-income housing nonprofits, and soup kitchens to share a valuable bonding experience with your workers.
Instead of scheduling volunteer opportunities together, as a unit, you could simply offer each worker four or five hours of paid volunteer time per month.
This could avoid the difficulty that accompanies trying to schedule a day on which all workers are free to volunteer their time, and the potential loss of work-hours if you choose to replace a regularly work day with a volunteer opportunity. , Show your workers or coworkers that you are excited and energized by your job each and every day.
Smile regularly and work hard.
Conduct yourself professionally.
In conversation, share with workers that you are looking forward to a great day and a bright future.Meet the high standards you’ve set for customer service and quality.
Be honest with your workers and coworkers. , Make sure that both rewards and discipline are awarded when necessary.
If your workers feel they were punished arbitrarily, others might worry that they could be punished in an equally unfair way.
Likewise, if you regularly ignore people who do a great job and work hard, this could lead to poor workplace morale., If people are working every day – or even just five days per week – for months on end, it can be exhausting.
After a while, the drudgery of such a schedule can cause workplace morale to decline.In order to create positive morale, grant all your employees at least one month of paid vacation per year, including public holidays. , Permit your employees some ownership of their working hours to improve morale.
For instance, allow them to bring their own ideas to management, and to develop them on company time if they seem relevant to company interests.For instance, if you run a sandwich shop, your employee might have a great idea for a new type of sandwich with a unique mix of ingredients.
Allow them to develop it and, if you have enough faith in it, sell it for a limited time.
Incorporate the sandwich into your regular menu if it process successful.
This not only improves morale, but can improve your workplace by introducing new and innovative techniques and products. , If workers know they will get a bonus, they will be more productive and feel more excited about going to work.
At the end of each fiscal year, provide your workers with an appropriate bonus – typically about 10% of their annual pay., Workers will feel their morale much improved if they have time to build positive relationships with one another.
Often, the best place to do this is outside of regularly scheduled working hours.
For instance, you could schedule a bowling excursion after work one night, or treat your workers to a day at a theme park.Don’t just assume your workers will be interested in a particular company outing.
Ask them for suggestions directly, then act on those suggestions.If you are not in a management position, you can create positive morale in the workplace by making friends with your coworkers and associating with them in a friendly way outside of your workplace. , Schedule special family lunches or “bring your child to work” days.
Organize quarterly events or functions in which employees can bring spouses or families, such as appreciation dinners and family picnics.
These opportunities allow you and your workers to get to know each other more personally., If your workers do not start out as happy and chipper people, they might have difficulty developing a sense of positive morale later on.
Use job interviews as opportunities to screen out people who seem morose, blue, or otherwise lacking in positivity.
Look instead for people who have not only a strong work ethic and an employment history that reflects commitment to their work, but also an upbeat, can-do attitude., If workers do not have the support they need and feel overburdened, your workplace morale will plummet.
Be sure to ask workers regularly how they’re doing, and inquire if they need more help.
Hire additional staff if necessary., If your company or workplace does things in the same way for too long, you can all become bored and lose morale at work.
To boost morale, find new and better ways to empower workers to accomplish what they need to.For instance, instead of one person always running meetings, you could designate a different meeting leader or a meeting co-chair to organize the meeting agenda. , Discourage workers from sitting at their desk through the lunch hour with their sandwiches or carryout containers.
Staying inside at the same location all day can reduce creativity and morale.
Suggest – or insist – that employees eat in the break room or take a walk before returning to work.If you are a worker whose boss allows you to take a real lunch break, you should do so to improve workplace morale. , If your business goes through a bad time and you need to fire some workers, do it all at once.
If you proceed with staff cuts over the course of several months, your workers will become stressed and depressed wondering whether they will get the axe next.
Workers can better weather a single big shock than a series of financial and staff cutbacks over a longer period. -
Step 3: Congratulate staff on their accomplishments.
-
Step 4: Be sensitive in your workplace communication.
-
Step 5: Be clear and direct in your workplace communications.
-
Step 6: Show your workers you care about them.
-
Step 7: Help your employees see the big picture.
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Step 8: Insist on a respectful workplace.
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Step 9: Schedule community service days.
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Step 10: Lead by example.
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Step 11: Be fair.
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Step 12: Give your employees time off.
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Step 13: Give your employees more freedom.
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Step 14: Give your workers bonuses.
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Step 15: Arrange for workers to get together outside the workplace.
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Step 16: Allow employees to invite their families to work.
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Step 17: Hire the right people.
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Step 18: Hire enough people.
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Step 19: Change things up.
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Step 20: Encourage workers to take a real lunch break.
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Step 21: Implement austerity measures immediately and all at once.
Detailed Guide
Get to know your workers and encourage feedback regarding what they like and do not like at work.
If many workers cite a similar workplace element as positive, work to expand or emphasize it.For instance, if many workers like the automatic staplers because they are superior to manual staplers, get a few more and stash them around the office in accessible locations.
Conversely, if many workers find something at work irritating or unpleasant, work to remedy or remove it.
For instance, if your workers do not like the piped-in music played over the loudspeakers, turn it off and replace it with different music.
Never leave concerns unanswered, or offer vague or dismissive answers along the lines of, “That isn’t important.”
Whenever possible, ask for feedback before implementing new policies – especially those that affect workers.If your workplace policies meet widespread resistance, amend or toss them.
Bad policies and feelings of powerlessness destroy workplace morale., When your workers do a great job, let them know.
Say “Thanks for doing that” or “Great job” regularly.Provide more formal recognition when the scale of the accomplishment is greater.For instance, if one worker, or a team of workers, has been pulling double duty to meet a deadline, call a meeting and ask them to stand.
Lead the group in a round of applause for their efforts.
If your staff attains some significant milestone – for instance, perhaps they’ve manufactured a combined one million widgets for automobiles – draw attention to this accomplishment in your regularly scheduled meetings or in the employee newsletter.If you are not in a management position, you can create positive morale in the workplace by congratulating your coworkers when they receive positive recognition, and by thanking them for helping you out. , Generally, provide more positive than negative feedback.
If there is something wrong with a worker’s performance, let them know in a private place.
Do not embarrass or berate them in front of their peers.Emphasize your worker’s strengths and avoid accusatory language.
If your workers need to change something, describe the behavior you want to change rather than the worker.If you are not in a management position, you can create positive morale in the workplace by being sensitive to your coworkers’ feelings.
Do not accuse them of being lazy or sloppy in their work.
Instead, use positive language and gentle suggestions to alert them to your displeasure.
For instance, if your coworker wants feedback on a low-quality project, you might say, “This could use a little more work.” , Do not dance around an issue or use vague language when describing a problem.
This is especially true if there is a development that affects everyone in your place of work.
For instance, if your company experiences a merger or bankruptcy, let your workers know as soon as possible either in an email or a meeting.
This will help maintain trust and boost morale, even in difficult times., If your workers believe you care about them and their well-being, workplace morale might improve.
You can encourage this belief by sending a signed card, flowers, or gift card to workers on their birthdays.
Inquire about your employees’ families and hobbies.For instance, greet your employees in a friendly manner each day.
Ask, “How are you?” If they have children, ask “How are the kids?” If they are in a relationship, ask “How is ?” , Often, a workplace has low morale because people cannot see the higher purpose toward which they are working.
Remind your employees regularly that their work is important and valuable, and without it, their community and the world would be far poorer.For instance, if you’re running a publishing house, remind your employees that your educational materials are helping kids learn.
If you are not in a management position, you can help your coworkers see the big picture by expressing gratitude for your job.
You might say to your coworkers, “We are really providing a valuable service.” , Discourage shouting, name-calling, and other negative behavior in the workplace.
Identify and root out workplace bullies – those workers or other managers who embarrass, harass, or otherwise unfairly target certain workers for whatever reason.
Discipline their behavior appropriately and dismiss them if necessary., When you and your workers can give back together at local community organizations, their morale might improve.
Through such an experience, you and your workers will come away with a sense of having united for a greater good, and will use the experience to reflect on how lucky they are.Contact local food banks, low-income housing nonprofits, and soup kitchens to share a valuable bonding experience with your workers.
Instead of scheduling volunteer opportunities together, as a unit, you could simply offer each worker four or five hours of paid volunteer time per month.
This could avoid the difficulty that accompanies trying to schedule a day on which all workers are free to volunteer their time, and the potential loss of work-hours if you choose to replace a regularly work day with a volunteer opportunity. , Show your workers or coworkers that you are excited and energized by your job each and every day.
Smile regularly and work hard.
Conduct yourself professionally.
In conversation, share with workers that you are looking forward to a great day and a bright future.Meet the high standards you’ve set for customer service and quality.
Be honest with your workers and coworkers. , Make sure that both rewards and discipline are awarded when necessary.
If your workers feel they were punished arbitrarily, others might worry that they could be punished in an equally unfair way.
Likewise, if you regularly ignore people who do a great job and work hard, this could lead to poor workplace morale., If people are working every day – or even just five days per week – for months on end, it can be exhausting.
After a while, the drudgery of such a schedule can cause workplace morale to decline.In order to create positive morale, grant all your employees at least one month of paid vacation per year, including public holidays. , Permit your employees some ownership of their working hours to improve morale.
For instance, allow them to bring their own ideas to management, and to develop them on company time if they seem relevant to company interests.For instance, if you run a sandwich shop, your employee might have a great idea for a new type of sandwich with a unique mix of ingredients.
Allow them to develop it and, if you have enough faith in it, sell it for a limited time.
Incorporate the sandwich into your regular menu if it process successful.
This not only improves morale, but can improve your workplace by introducing new and innovative techniques and products. , If workers know they will get a bonus, they will be more productive and feel more excited about going to work.
At the end of each fiscal year, provide your workers with an appropriate bonus – typically about 10% of their annual pay., Workers will feel their morale much improved if they have time to build positive relationships with one another.
Often, the best place to do this is outside of regularly scheduled working hours.
For instance, you could schedule a bowling excursion after work one night, or treat your workers to a day at a theme park.Don’t just assume your workers will be interested in a particular company outing.
Ask them for suggestions directly, then act on those suggestions.If you are not in a management position, you can create positive morale in the workplace by making friends with your coworkers and associating with them in a friendly way outside of your workplace. , Schedule special family lunches or “bring your child to work” days.
Organize quarterly events or functions in which employees can bring spouses or families, such as appreciation dinners and family picnics.
These opportunities allow you and your workers to get to know each other more personally., If your workers do not start out as happy and chipper people, they might have difficulty developing a sense of positive morale later on.
Use job interviews as opportunities to screen out people who seem morose, blue, or otherwise lacking in positivity.
Look instead for people who have not only a strong work ethic and an employment history that reflects commitment to their work, but also an upbeat, can-do attitude., If workers do not have the support they need and feel overburdened, your workplace morale will plummet.
Be sure to ask workers regularly how they’re doing, and inquire if they need more help.
Hire additional staff if necessary., If your company or workplace does things in the same way for too long, you can all become bored and lose morale at work.
To boost morale, find new and better ways to empower workers to accomplish what they need to.For instance, instead of one person always running meetings, you could designate a different meeting leader or a meeting co-chair to organize the meeting agenda. , Discourage workers from sitting at their desk through the lunch hour with their sandwiches or carryout containers.
Staying inside at the same location all day can reduce creativity and morale.
Suggest – or insist – that employees eat in the break room or take a walk before returning to work.If you are a worker whose boss allows you to take a real lunch break, you should do so to improve workplace morale. , If your business goes through a bad time and you need to fire some workers, do it all at once.
If you proceed with staff cuts over the course of several months, your workers will become stressed and depressed wondering whether they will get the axe next.
Workers can better weather a single big shock than a series of financial and staff cutbacks over a longer period.
About the Author
Sarah Vasquez
Enthusiastic about teaching home improvement techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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