In recent times, Google has been all over the news regarding their offices and the many creative areas, slides, table tennis tables, golf/pool combinations, hammocks for working, and whatever else you can dream up. As much as we would like to provide this for our employees, small businesses just don’t have the space or budget to put it into practice. However, this doesn’t mean the big companies need to have a monopoly on good morale and we’re going to prove this today with some simple tips!
Praise and Growth – According to numerous studies and reports, employee recognition leads to greater productivity and reduced turnover. In truth, we could list endless statistics showing this including many in a 2015 report entitled ‘State of the Global Workplace’. Every year, we go off on this search for employee morale when it actually comes from the simpler processes in your business.
If the supervisors, managers, and owners openly praise good work and make time for constructive feedback when the work isn’t so good, the team will feel valued and they won’t feel the need to go searching for a new job.
Ultimately, this all comes down to employee growth because money just doesn’t cut it anymore. According to a 2013 study investigating over 1,200 US employees, 83% prefer recognition and opportunities to grow as opposed to monetary rewards. As more millennials enter the workplace, this figure is only growing because happiness is becoming a more achievable factor in life.
Rather than settling for an unhappy career, more and more people are looking for a career that enables them to grow and receive credit for good work. With this one simple change, your employee morale will remain high.
Look Inwards for Promotions – Often, small companies look to fill new roles from the outside when they have people who know the company inside-out already on the payroll. If you start promoting your employees when roles need to be filled, everybody else is motivated in the knowledge they could be next. Suddenly, the path of progression becomes clear and they’re motivated to do well.
Get Employees Involved – Rather than turning up in the morning, working hard all day, and then going home again, the modern-day employee wants to feel as though they’ve really contributed. With this in mind, Ecommerce professionals – Comalytics told us that you should hold regular meetings to ask for their ideas whether it regards marketing, new products, customer service, or anything else. With a simple weekly meeting, your employees realize their opinions are valid and you might just get an idea that pushes you ahead of the competition.
Strive for Solutions – When employees make mistakes, they recognize their error very quickly so getting on their back does nothing except make them feel worse. If you want to deal with the situation without damaging the morale of the whole team, simply accept that the past can’t be changed and look ahead to potential solutions. Over time, this will become part of the culture within your business and all employees will look for solutions rather than dwelling on failures and mistakes.
Others – After these main tips, we also suggest opening direct lines of communication so workers are free to discuss any concerns, reminding everyone that it’s a team game rather than a group of individuals, and giving them small rewards. Of course, you don’t have to reward them with a trip to Vegas or Paris but what about a group meal, cinema trip, or just a summer BBQ?
As you can see, keeping your employees motivated doesn’t have to be expensive or a drawn-out process. With today’s employees wanting to feel valued and as though their opinions are valid, this is far more important than any monetary reward you could provide!
