The pandemic is a unique global situation that has transformed working patterns, business standards, and people’s preferences towards many things. Whether we talk about working from home patterns, doorstep delivery trends, or the digital transformation of businesses, pandemics could be the major reason behind this drastic change. 

Amongst them, one of the major changes the business world is facing right now is moving employees to remote work. Indeed, work from home or remote working or virtual working has become a “norm,” but does every organization get the same level of productivity? No. for HR professionals, it has become very critical to maintaining productivity level while boosting employee morale simultaneously.  

Whether your employees are working virtually or in the office, it would be tough to say that their morale will stay the same all the time. Employee morale is crucial, and amid this challenging situation, it has become more critical because it is one of the metrics that either make or break the company. 

A report revealed by Breathe HR Culture Economy, more than 57% of employees, don’t trust their leaders and managers, which has gone up 16% in just a couple of years. Hence, we can say that employees also need trustworthy and kind leaders that motivate them thoroughly along with monetary perks. 

What is Employee Morale? 

To put simply, 

Employee morale can be defined as describing the feelings, emotions, and attitudes towards their workplace and management. Employees who are happy and express a positive attitude towards their team members are known to have high morale, while employees who complain about different issues and are not dedicated to their work have low morale. 

Today, more employees have low morale, and managers can find this in their behavior and attitude. Employees who are not happy with work policies and the organization’s work environment are facing this issue, and eventually, it impacts the company’s bottom line.  

Reasons You Should Care About Employee Morale

Have you ever heard of employees with low morale and a negative mindset giving their best and helping organizations to achieve their goals? No, right? Employees with high morale are more productive, satisfied with their job role, and deliver the best results to the organization, and it eventually impacts the company’s bottom line.

If the organization is facing any difficulties regarding survival, it will not step back and give its best to achieve its goals. In the same way, when employees ask for any help, the organization also won’t look back. 

As we know, due to the Corona outbreak, the grocery delivery market is soaring, and well-known grocery delivery apps such as Instacart, Shipt, etc. have become popular and encouraging other retailers to transform their business through grocery app development, along with that these market players also launching employee benefit programs such as free backup care of family members, bonus, etc. 

Employee morale has a direct relation with employee engagement and level of productivity. As per the report from Gallup, low morale employees cost US businesses up to $550 billion per annum. This figure is scary. 

Hence, employee morale is important, and HR professionals should not overlook it. Underneath, we have mentioned several benefits of employee morale; let’s have a look: 

• Increased teamwork
• Better employee retention
• Improves office work environment
• Higher the morale, more productive team
• Happy employees are more creative
• Happier companies struggle less with labor turnover 

Now you must have realized why employee morale is important as it can boost performance, productivity and eventually improve the organization’s bottom line. 

Tips to Boost Employee Morale Instantly 

Be its multinational corporations, small business owners, or startups; employee morale has become a major concern of organizations. Business leaders know how difficult it can be to find good people and keep them motivated all the time. Smart business owners have realized that they should put forth endeavors to boost employee morale. 

But how? Don’t worry, here are some creative and best ways that we have observed major brands consider to boost their employee morale and create a happy work culture. So let’s get started. 

Appreciate More Often

Who does not like appreciation? Imagine you have put all your hard work and sweat into a project completion, but you have not heard any “thank you” or “good job” from your employer; how does it feel? Yes, we are talking about the same. The simple process of telling someone they have done a good job can leave a major impact on their morale. 

The above data presented by WorkHuman Research Institute reflects that more than 92% of employees believe being recognized for their job role makes them feel energized and satisfied. Well, this figure is huge. 

Moreover, another research conducted by Gallup Poll said that workplace recognition could motivate employees and foster connections with management. Every time employees don’t need monetary perks, sometimes they also like, 

• Public recognition
• Private recognition
• Thank you card
• Promotion
• Other privileges 

In short, appreciation plays an important role in employee morale-boosting activity. 

Celebrations at the Workplace 

Recent news went viral that the Japanese Government is planning to have a four-day week for work-life balance. In the same way, celebration at the workplace is necessary, or else employees feel bored or frustrated. Encourage your employees to celebrate festivals or any special occasion to boost morale and spread enthusiasm among other employees. 

For instance, the team leaders should arrange lunch parties for their team members after accomplishing big projects before the deadline. You can also arrange a smaller or one-day holiday trip to liven up your workplace. Days like Christmas, National Pizza Day, HIgh-five day, etc., are great reasons for a workplace celebration. 

Communicate Regularly With Your Employees 

Not only at the workplace, but ineffective communication is the major cause of many personal problems too. Especially amid the pandemic, it has become more important. Let’s put this statement into the dollar; miscommunication costs small companies or startups an average of $420,000 per year. Well, this figure can’t be overlooked. 

Effective communication is the major key to a happy workplace. Further, you should communicate with your employees on a regular basis and ask them some common questions such as:

• How do you feel about your team leader?
• Are you facing any issues with co-workers?
• Do you feel satisfied and happy at the workplace? If not, how can I help? 

Based on these answers, you will come to know what employees feel and what kind of steps you should take to boost their morale. 

Promote a Lunch Culture

Today, most organizations follow flexible working hours, and the majority of the employees won’t take lunch breaks as they fear they may not be able to complete the task on time. It seems simple but promoting a work culture boosts employee morale. 

Further, Kimberly Elsbach, professor at the University of California, shares her views on the positive impact of promoting a lunch break culture and how it allows employees to enjoy happy moments with colleagues and leaders. 

Promotions and Raises

Promotions and raises are all-time favorite methods to boost employee morale. If your employee’s productivity, performance, and behavior with other employees are good enough, you can please them by giving them a promotion. Keep a close eye on their overall performance and give raises as per the industry norms. This can foster loyalty and keep them motivated in this highly competitive environment. 

Show Care and Loyalty to Your Employees

No matter wherever you go or how different people you meet at the workplace, the one thing you strive for most is care. And when it comes to employees, they are not something different. Listen to them carefully, help them excel in their careers, and keep a kind approach towards them. You will also handle criticism effectively; these kinds of small gestures boost employee morale and make them motivated. 

Bottom Line

Dedicated employees are the valuable assets of the company. Be sure to implement these six ways to keep your employees motivated, happy, and satisfied. If you want to take your organization to a new level, you need high morale employees.