Improving Office Morale for 2018

Coming back into the office after the Christmas break is tough work. After the big festive build up for Christmas, and frantically trying to get all necessary work out the door, the break itself can seem a little underwhelming. It’s hard to disagree when you see that as many as two thirds of us will be working over the period between Christmas and New Year.

When your employees come back in to work, still in the dark days of January, it’s important to try and lift their spirits. It’s been proven that there is a clear link between employee morale and productivity, so taking the time to try and treat your hard working employees will have its own benefits for your business.

Take the Time to Listen

This is the most effective and simple way to engage with your employees. Listening to concerns goes a long way to establishing trust and a positive relationship between employer and employee. With a business of a large size, you might have to implement some form of feedback hierarchy, but everyone should have a chance to have their own say. By hearing their own concerns, you can take steps to improve the company for their own needs.

Surprise them With Benefits

There’s nothing that does more to make a person appreciated than rewards for their hard work. If you’re looking for ideas as to how to do this, you can go as big or small as your business can handle. It might be something like offering a random afternoon off, or a trip to a quality spa for the day. Rewarding hard work in these ways will encourage the rest of your work force as they see hard work comes with a pay-off.

Keep Your Team Well Informed

The separation between management and employees is one that can cause ill feeling and tension across a business. If you find that the office floor has an ‘us and them’ feel to it, you’re already fighting a losing battle. Your business will only continue to grow and succeed if everyone from the MD to mail room staff are pursuing a common goal.

Communicate these goals to the rest of the company by holding regular catch-ups with the business to keep everyone informed. These don’t have to focus on large accounts getting landed or flashy pieces of work, just taking the time to recognise the great work that goes on in every part of your business well help people feel valued for the role that they do.

If you’re coming back to work on early January and you see that there are a lot of long faces around the room, it’s your responsibility to address a morale issue. People are less engaged, feel alienated, and don’t work as hard if their mood is being affected by the January blues. Trying some of the techniques outlined above will leave you with a happier workforce who are more in tune with what your business is trying to achieve on a larger scale.