Five Ways to Improve Employee Morale

Are your employees as productive as they could be?

In a recent webinar I discussed ways to improve employee productivity. Companies that have high levels of employee productivity first and foremost have high levels of morale.

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Why is employee morale important?

It’s pretty simple really. High levels of employee morale results in the ambition and desire to actually do the work. In essence, high morale leads to higher levels of productivity.

What if morale is low?

The American Psychological Association has identified that an unhappy workplace can increase depression and heart disease rates in employees. Not optimal when you consider that the existence of any of these conditions will not only impact the health and well-being of employees, but will lead to diminished levels of productivity.

Here are five reasons why employees aren’t as productive as they could be that I reviewed during the webinar. Which of these reasons are you taking action on to ensure morale (and in turn productivity) are high?

1.They don’t trust you. If employees don’t trust you or other leaders in your business, the reality is they will never believe anything you or other managers say. Trust is built through honesty and honesty results from consistent communications across the leadership team.

2.They don’t like you. Being a leader doesn’t mean you have to be liked, but it does mean that you have to treat employees fairly. Are you treating all employees equally or do you play favorites? Do your actions support what you say? Don’t try to be popular, just try to be fair.

3.They don’t trust others. If there is a lack of trust amidst those in your team, then chances are engagement will be low and productivity will be diminished. Trust within teams is built through shared goals and shared responsibilities. If all employees feel that responsibilities are shared (and pursued) equally, then trust is built.

4.They don’t like others. In reality it is rare that everyone on a team will get along. There will always be some dislike and discontent amidst employees regardless of the size of the team. Your goal as a leader is not to ensure everyone likes one another, but to ensure everyone “respects” each other. Respect results from the belief that everyone is pursuing and supporting the same goals and goals are set by the team leader.

5.They aren’t motivated to perform. Motivation results from incentive and incentives differ for everyone. The key to motivating employees is not through blind incentives, but in understanding “why” employees come to work each day and then finding ways to introduce, reinforce and draw awareness to these incentives.

Are you focused on improving employee morale? Be honest with yourself. I’m going to share another five ideas in a future blog, so stay tuned!

Question: What are your manager, supervisor or team leaders perspectives relative to which of these areas is the weakest? What ideas can your leadership team generate that will improve morale and productivity?

© Shawn Casemore 2015. All rights reserved.