Morale and productivity go hand and hand. If an employee is burned out by a monotonous work routine, they won’t be very productive. So what do you do to keep your employees engaged and creative? Around our office, we keep a loose and lively atmosphere.
If you’ve ever had the opportunity to stop in and pay us a visit, it’s abundantly clear when Chewy and Lincoln, our office dogs, greet you at the door just how casual things are. However, it doesn’t stop there; we do lots of things to increase morale – from weekly company lunches to working remotely. Below are a few ways you can increase morale without much time or money invested.
My first suggestion is to get rid of email as much as possible. This sounds crazy, right? Well, I bet you didn’t know that when 92% of your employees read an email that their blood pressure and heart rate spike. Try using tools like Slack and Trello for replacing internal emails. These services have numerous advantages to using email.
Make lunch breaks mandatory! There have been numerous studies to suggest that only 20% of white collar workers take a lunch break. I know what you are thinking, why would I want to make them do this? These same studies have shown that getting out of the office can increase productivity and creativity.
Managers and supervisors set the tone. These are the people who most likely have the most effect on daily morale. When employees see them grab a cup of coffee and hang out for a few minutes, they are showing that its ok to leave your desk without fear of judgment.
Have your managers or supervisors take an interest in their subordinate’s personal lives. Employees who don’t fear their manager or feel like they actually care much more likely to be satisfied with their jobs.
Restrict overtime as much as possible. Numerous studies have shown that having your employees regularly work more than 40hrs a week leads to drops in morale and productivity. In fact, its been proven that white collar workers have about 6 good hours of work in them a day and blue collar is closer to 8. I’ve seen a trend in companies trying 30hr work weeks, some with positive results.
Open the door for feedback. Ask your employees how things are going or what could stand for some improvement. Employees who feel that their voice is heard are much more likely to have a vested interest in company’s success.
These are just a few ways to boost morale, but there are numerous things that can be done with little to no time or money to implement. Always remember that a happy employee is a productive employee.
