If employers can keep employee morale high, there is a good chance they can maximise productivity and improve the overall bottom line for their company.
But in a difficult economic climate, keeping office workers fully engaged and motivated is not always straightforward.
With many people worrying about money issues and job security, it is understandable that some may become distracted at work and take their eye off the ball.
Many may resent the tougher working conditions they face in recession – with fewer employees trying to do more work – and get disgruntled with their management.
So what can employers do to keep their workers happy and motivated to give their all on a daily basis, without adding to company costs?
Writing for Brazen Life, Woodrow Aames offered three tips to employers seeking to improve the morale of their paid staff without the help of a pay rise and additional benefits.
He suggested that employers may wish to change the culture of the company into one that fosters as much praise and support as it does suggestions for improvement.
Mr Aames suggested setting goals and benchmarks that help employees track progress and look forward to completing projects.
Managing with ethics and compassion can also help, he suggested.
“Holding employees to company standards is one thing,” Mr Aames stated.
“Offering employee training, in-house support and actually listening to your staff breaks the invisible wall between leadership and workers.”
He said employers should encourage team play, where colleagues collaborate on meeting goals, each bringing their own talents to the table.
“Never criticise a worker’s performance in front of their colleagues. And wherever possible, create a clearly articulated path to success for each worker,” Mr Aames added.
Clear communication should also be prioritised, he stated, and this means checking in with every employee on a regular basis.
“A worker sitting alone angrily in a cube, loathing the email they just received from another staffer, is brutal on morale,” Mr Aames stated.
“Getting the two in the same physical location to work on their real or imagined differences can get things moving.”
