Having company morale issues?

Question - How do you improve employee morale?

Answer - Be transparent and make the working environment as effective and efficient as possible for your workers.

Ask them how you can make their lives easier.

Ask them about where they believe there are inefficiencies in the way things are being done.

Duplication, or wasteful activities should be minimized.

However, don't do this through a suggestion box, but engage them one on one on what they would like to see improved.

Ask them to go home

and to think about the question and to come back with how the company could help them do their work better.

This specific task shows that there is serious commitment to improve the way the company operates.

If the employee feels that they are being listened to, it will also increase their engagement levels.

Follow up is also key including explaining clearly why certain ideas have to be dismissed based on them not being economically feasible for the company.

However, a compromise should always be sought.

Usually the complaints come from employees regarding excess administration that is required of the employees.

Step back and analyse at how things are being done.

When companies do this they almost always find procedures that could be removed.

Even the removal of one unnecessary layer of process has proven to stimulate employees feeling positively toward their job.

Another area of pain for employees are excessive meetings.

Time used to prepare for unnecessary meetings and the cost of time spent in those meetings which could otherwise be used at one's desk to help them get caught up in their own work.

Employee morale will increase if employees feel that they are able to have productive days and feel that they are making progress towards their mandate.

People are not looking for a work hard play hard environment at their office.

People with that mentality now usually prefer to do the playing with non-work friends so they can escape the work atmosphere.

People do not want to go to office parties.

Part of the problem is that people are too overworked due to delegation.

An office party in the afternoon often just creates more work for the employee for when they do get back to their desk.

It is best to do a lunch and then give people the afternoon off.

If they want go back to work and get caught up, that is up to them.

Parties have become a bit of a wasted effort in both time and money and many surveys have discovered that even the spouses would rather not attend these events.

Farewell,

Mike