5 Ways to Raise Morale and Keep Your Company Thriving
While morale can seem like an ambiguous metric to track, it can certainly be felt. Absenteeism, workplace conflicts, disorganization, and regular complaints are all signs of low morale.
What is Morale?
Morale is the level of confidence, enthusiasm, and self-esteem that people feel in the workplace. It can be affected by a variety of reasons, and even the most enthusiastic workforces will have natural peaks and valleys. Morale might be high after the distribution of bonuses or when a large client is acquired, and it can dip after lay-offs or a particularly stressful time. Low morale is more than having a bad day or week; it builds up over time and takes a heavy toll on the company.
The Effects
Morale has an incredibly powerful ripple effect. When a workforce suffers from low morale, they are much more likely to become disengaged and less productive. This in turn can lead to sloppier work, frequent frustration, negative customer interactions, absenteeism, and higher turnover. When so much of our lives are spent at work, it’s incredibly important to maintain a positive atmosphere.
When morale is high, employees become more engaged and are more willing to work as a team. They feel a sense of belonging and ownership over their work, leading to more pride and attention to detail. This reduces workplace accidents, keeps work moving, and reduces stress. Both low and high morale function as feedback loops: high morale makes work better, which maintains high morale, and low morale makes work dreadful, which maintains low morale.
So how can companies lift their employees’ spirits? Here are our 5 top tips to boosting morale.
Praise
Everyone likes feeling valued for the work they do. Even when a project doesn’t become successful, it’s important to praise those who put time and effort towards it. Extensive research has been done on the effects of employee recognition on employee engagement, morale, and productivity. Recognition is truly a must-have for any thriving business. Whether it’s a pat on the back, a feature in the newsletter, or a formal award, it’s crucial to consistently praise employees in a genuine and personal way. At Dion, we custom design each order to fit the company’s branding and the weight of the occasion. Custom jewelry awards are a great way to provide a unique and valuable award that can be worn and displayed.
A Culture of Recognition
Top-down recognition is nice, but it can have even more impact when the recognition comes from one’s peers. Coworkers are constantly in tune with how hard their team is working and have a much more personal connection than management. By providing a way for people to award each other, everyone in the company is able to both give and receive praise on a daily basis. This creates a culture of recognition and fosters teamwork and camaraderie. For example, here at Dion we have the Diamond Award. Everyone has access to nomination slips that they can fill out anytime they feel someone deserves appreciation for going above and beyond. The recipient of the Diamond Award receives a custom Dion sterling silver pin, a shoutout in the weekly newsletter, and their good deed posted on our Diamond Award Board. It’s more than a feel-good exercise - it’s part of our culture to help each other out and recognize each other for doing so.
Shared Goals and Celebrations
Another great way to raise morale is to establish shared goals and initiatives. A shared goal can unite the company, and avoid conflict between departments or individuals, framing the company as a united front moving in one forward direction. Shared goals also place focus on process improvement.
Addressing Frustrations
To keep morale from dipping down, it’s important not to let frustrations fester into resentment. Companies should always have an avenue through which employees can anonymously voice their complaints and concerns. Receiving feedback during periods of low morale is a great way to quickly tackle the issues and elevate the mood.
Have Fun
As famous American author Laura Ingalls Wilder puts it, “A good laugh overcomes more difficulties and dissipates more dark clouds than any other one thing.” Keeping a healthy sense of humor prevents the atmosphere from becoming stressful and abrasive. Planning fun company outings like a bbq, beach trip, or cooking class can also raise morale by encouraging people to have fun. At Dion we keep the fun going all year long with special dress-up days, games, prizes, food, and many other silly things to brighten our team’s day.
The Best Recruiters
While no one is ever happy 100% of the time, there are concrete actions that managers can take to raise morale. Not only is a happy and content workforce more enjoyable, they will save their company money through higher productivity, lower absenteeism, lower turnover, better teamwork, and better customer interactions. In the words of Jacqueline Heyward, BS, MSM, Cone Health Corporate and Community Health and Wellness Employee Services Liaison: “When thinking about employee recognition, consider what you want your employees to tell others about work. When employees feel appreciated, many become natural recruiters, which is especially important in today’s tight job market.”
Dion is Here For You
Whether you’re creating a new program, or revamping an old one, it’s important to work with a supplier who is passionate about your success. Dion’s dedicated Account Management Team guides you through the entire process from design to delivery. We also provide a large array of admin services to help support programs of any size. Getting started with Dion is easy: simply browse our gallery of past products for some inspiration, then