Top 7 Ways to Boost Employee Morale in 2021

Let’s face it, 2020 was dreadful —  the COVID outbreak put the entire world in chaos, with entire countries suffering from the brunt of the pandemic. This uninvited guest continues to overstay its welcome into the new year and wreak havoc in the business and professional lives of many individuals.

There is a high chance that your employee morale could be low considering the sudden turn of events happening worldwide. As an employer, you need to boost employee morale, as low morale is greatly affecting your business, and that is the last thing you want added to the list of workforce miseries.

Employee morale is essentially that extra kick or motivation, which your employees need to show up to work, motivated and full of positivity. This helps to build a great company culture and positive work environment. Therefore, it is imperative to boost employee morale. The internet is filled with employee morale examples that can help you in different situations with different kinds of teams.

Let us check out the 7 ways how you can boost employee morale and productivity.

1. Be transparent

The more transparent you are the better it is for your company. So, do not attempt to avoid conversations or hide problems when the morale of the employees is already low. Employers are expected to remain transparent during such situations to boost employee morale. Employees respect honesty and will be inspired and motivated to work together to fix the situation. Keep your employees informed about new canopy updates, latest protocols, prevalent issues, client feedback and so on. Your transparency will reflect your honesty and integrity in front of your employees.

2. Frequent communication

Continuing from the first point, an employer should frequently indulge in transparent communication with their employees. This way the employees will have proper information about the things happening in the company. This sort of comprehensive information will automatically boost their morale and inspire them to perform better in tough situations.

Always shares positive business announcements, such as a new project, or the launch of a new product, or even the best customer review. Employees too are human beings and they expect you to talk to and interact with them. Additionally, check on your employees and enquire about their well-being by asking them relevant questions related to work, life and challenges they face at work.

Frequent open communication allows employees to discuss their issues and concerns with the management, which can help them find some much-needed solutions. This kind of employee engagement will boost employee morale beyond measure.

3. Employee recognition

Everybody loves the recognition and appreciation they receive for their work, and your employees are no exception. Therefore, never shy away from showing genuine appreciation or recognition to your employees. Your employees work very hard to meet company expectations and goals. In return, they expect that the management recognizes their hard work and dedication, and appreciates them accordingly.

Employee recognition greatly boosts employee morale and productivity. And, you don’t need to invest much in appreciating employees. Sometimes, a simple appreciation email or a word of appreciation in front of their team is best and the easiest way to recognize the achievements of your employees and boosts employee morale at work.

4. Employee feedback

Racing employee feedback is also a great way to boost morale at work. When you are open to feedback from employees, they feel heard and wanted by the company. This automatically motivates them to perform better than usual. But, it is not enough to only collect feedback from employees. The essence lies in effectively acting on the feedback and implementing the necessary recommendations on the office floor.

Sometimes, it may not be possible to implement every suggestion or feedback. In this case, at least make it a point to recognise and appreciate the feedback provided by your employees. Employee feedback is a crucial aspect that can ensure year-round development and performance management of the employees.

5. Allow employees to work autonomously

The sign of a great leader is not when they lead from the front, but when they step back and encourage their employees to take greater responsibilities. This not just boosts efficiency, it greatly boosts employee morale and confidence.

When you give challenging tasks to your employees and allow them the autonomy to make their decisions, you show them that the company trusts them and that they are a vital part of your organization’s growth ladder. Better and constructive employee autonomy helps to greatly boost employee morale.

Inversely, if you don’t give them challenging tasks regularly, then you are giving out an inappropriate message to your employees, that you don’t have enough trust in their abilities. This could be discouraging for your employees, which could lower their morals unnecessarily.

6. Encourage interpersonal relationships

Encouraging interpersonal relationships at the workplace is the best way to boost engagement levels among your employees. This creates a pleasant work environment filled with positivity and motivation. This automatically boosts employee morale.

This is the reason why employers should always focus on creating a positive atmosphere at the workplace. They should encourage their employees to interact with each other and have open communication on a wide range of topics. You can design your work efficiently with an equal focus on work and leisure. When your employees will feel comfortable at work, they will feel motivated to come to work daily and perform better. This will definitely boost employee morale.

7. Reward good performance

Nothing boosts employee morale better than being rewarded by the management for their performance. Your employees are not just resources, in fact, they are the most crucial and intangible assets of the organization. They are an integral part of your company’s growth and development story. Therefore, you must make it a point to reward your best employee for their performance. This not just boosts the morale of the top employee, but also motivates the others to perform better and achieve top performance.

Performance rewards are also known to enhance productivity in the workplace. You could begin by building a structured reward system to reward your employees for top performance. The rewards can range from paid leaves to monetary bonuses, free dinners, gifts and more. It should be unique, exciting as well as motivating to your employees. The idea is to boost employee morale, encourage healthy competition and bring out the best in your workforce.

It is a worthy investment, after all. As the money you invest in the rewards will ultimately repay you in the form of far greater profits for the business.

Treat your employees as an extension of yourself. Don’t treat them as mere resources. Share the positives as well as the negatives of the business with them. As an employer, stay honest in your communications and actions. That way, your employees will feel accepted and be motivated to do great work for the company.