Building Company Morale

The recession has hit many businesses hard; not just their sales but also their workforce. While spending time trying to focus on ways to survive and keep sales steady, many employers have neglected their most valuable resource - their employees. While it may seem like there are few places for people to go, dissatisfied workers will eventually look for jobs elsewhere, and the first to find them are going to be your best and most valuable employees. In order to circumvent this costly situation, you need to light a spark in your workforce. Right now it is extremely important to help employees enjoy their jobs. Make it fun. Make it interesting. Make it challenging. Make your company somewhere they want to be every day.

The first step to increasing staff morale is to start having fun. Show employees that being overwhelmingly busy is not necessary to keep their job and encourage their participation in company-wide games or events. Have the executive team grill hamburgers, hot dogs and turkey burgers at lunch for the staff, hold a company-wide contest to see who can shoot a foam rocket the farthest, or get a giant target with a picture of your biggest competitor in the bulls-eye and have employees throw gooey splat balls at the center. Holding these types of events during work hours may seem like a waste of precious time to some, but really they will build camaraderie, help people relax, and in the end, increase productivity of the entire workforce. If you give each employee who participates a small token to take back to their workspace, the event will have lasting effects. The giveaway will remind employees of how much fun they had and help them get through future days that are more challenging or stressful with a more positive attitude.

Publicly rewarding good behavior is another way to motivate employees and increase their feelings of success. Whether you create a competition amongst individuals for the highest productivity or set a group objective for each department, create a system where employees are rewarded in front of the entire company for reaching their goals. You can offer elaborate prizes like crystal glassware or fancy awards, but this type of program does not have to cost a fortune. There are many less expensive prizes, like a tote bag or a sweatshirt, that will also do the trick.

Giving small company branded gifts to your staff is also recommended, not as a prize or reward, but just a token of appreciation for all their hard work. Consider the different personalities in the company and purchase gifts that are specific to their varying needs. Try giving the fidgety employees something to keep their hands busy. Give unorganized employees something to keep their space in order. Give high-strung employees something to help them relax. These types of gifts will not only give the impression that the company really knows, understands and appreciates their employees, but they will also help them work more effectively.

Just as customers do not order from you so that you can make money, your employees don't work hard solely to make the company successful. As is basic human nature, everyone wants to know "what's in it for me?" Given the current economic circumstances for many companies, HR departments everywhere have their work cut out for them. That being said, regardless of the environment, the challenge doesn't change. Even if the economy was better and budgets were overflowing, the pay will never be more than enough and vacation time and benefits will never exceed expectations. In order to ensure a happy workforce, employees must be made to feel motivated, successful, secure, and most of all, appreciated. You must make an attempt to earn the loyalty they've already been giving you.