4 ways to boost employee morale and motivate employees

Look behind the scenes of any successful business and you’re likely to find a team of loyal, hardworking, and eager employees. If you run your own company or department but feel like your employees need a little encouragement or aren’t as motivated as they might be – don’t worry. There are many things you can do to turn things around.

Here are 4 ways to boost employee morale and motivate employees.

Create a friendly and welcoming work environment

If your employees are afraid to come to work, they probably won’t do their best during their workday, nor will they be motivated. Are your employees able to get on with their jobs and have a little banter with colleagues every now and then, or do you tend to micromanage or have a no-talk policy? If it’s the latter, then you’ll never get the best out of your people.

As long as the work is done, don’t be afraid to let your employees relax a little. The happier they are, the more motivated they are likely to become. Give them some wiggle room and you’ll be surprised at how productive things become.

Recognize their efforts

Praising employees can do wonders for morale and motivation. If someone did a good job or worked exceptionally hard – tell them! Let him know that you appreciate his efforts and reward him if necessary. When they see their hard work paying off and being noticed by their managers, they will be much more inclined to keep going.

Research also suggests that peer recognition boosts morale and motivates employees, so it’s something else worth investigating. Positive feedback from colleagues not only promotes camaraderie, but also has a positive effect on team building.

Do you have structured processes?

Employees can get very frustrated when they are not clear about what is expected of them or when they are not sure how to get things done. Whenever possible, ensure that policies and procedures are organized and well structured. Employees become less irritated and annoyed and are more likely to work as a team to achieve a common end goal.

If your procedures need streamlining, take some time to go through them and create a procedures manual to avoid future doubts.

promote sociability

Believe it or not, socializing outside of work can be very beneficial, so for example organizing a few drinks after work or an afternoon of bowling could be beneficial to you.

Social contacts give employees the opportunity to get to know each other and you on a more personal level. This can lead to far better communication between departments and make everyone more motivated to help each other.

If you’re looking for inspiration, there are plenty of ideas online, and many companies also host more formal team building events, which can be a lot of fun too.