9 Ways to Boost Staff Morale and Improve Employee Loyalty   

On the surface, keeping costs down and running a strict operation might seem the best way to enhance productivity. In reality, just a handful of well-placed perks and some well-timed praise can massively boost staff morale. You don’t have to be a huge corporation to offer great perks. Sometimes, an incentive as simple as free gym membership can be enough to persuade an employee that joining you was the best decision.

And the best bit? Many incentives can be implemented without draining your budget. So read on about how to improve the efficiency of your business and keep your staff happy with these nine easy tips:

Introduce Incentives
Whether you regularly stock the office with fresh fruit, or let employees leave early on a Friday, a small but regular treat can help you become the business of choice. So by combining “expected” fringe benefits, like Christmas parties, with smaller perks, employees will feel appreciated, without extensive additional cost to you.

A Little Treat Can Go a Long Way
At digital marketing agency RocketMill, staff perks include quarterly in-office massages, beer Fridays, a well-stocked ice cream freezer throughout the summer, handmade birthday cakes, and hour and a half lunch breaks.

None of these treats will set the business back thousands, but all give employees something to look forward to which, in turn, helps with staff satisfaction and retention.

Make Team-Building Fun
For some, the thought of team-building is a nightmare. The reason isn’t usually because you’re forcing staff to socialize, but because the event itself is uninspiring or completely antithetical to their usual hobbies (while it can be tough to appeal to every taste, few are going to enjoy events that’ll humiliate them in front of teammates. This includes karaoke and dance lessons!).

So, that said, there are some basic tips you can follow to ensure your team-building event is as enjoyable as possible. Encourage staff to suggest ideas for events and ensure, once chosen, there isn’t anyone who would have a serious issue getting involved. Then, try to arrange activities for a suitable time, while not forcing colleagues to stay hours after work, particularly if any have a long commute. Similarly, don’t take them out of the office for more than a day if it means they’ll have to work late prior to the trip to make up for lost time.

Flexibility can Equal Creativity
Flexible work hours can benefit both you and your employees. This doesn’t have to mean allowing them to work from home every other day, but there are options for providing employees with autonomy.

For example, permitting staff to start anytime within a designated slot (e.g. between 8 a.m. – 10 a.m.) and then finish a corresponding eight and a half hours later, can avoid a workforce complaining of fatigue, due to super-early starts.  And for those who do prefer to get in early, they will appreciate the extra evening leisure time.

Recognition and Support
Acknowledging when an employee has performed well, as well as encouraging them to give feedback to you, are great ways to improve teamwork and ensure employee opinions are acknowledged.

Praise and Rewards
Approval and recognition, where deserved, can go a long way to improving the office atmosphere. So if a colleague has performed outstandingly, don’t be blasé and act like it’s to be expected; praise them in the right way.

The level of the achievement will dictate the appropriate form of praise, but whether it’s a simple “nice job” comment, or prize-based recognition, positive reinforcement will boost the team’s morale. On a larger scale, offering employees a bonus, incentive or profit-sharing plan can encourage them to push harder, which will clearly benefit you in the long run.

Hold Regular Catch-ups
In a digital age, it’s easy for us to fall into the habit of emailing colleagues we sit next to, rather than communicating face to face. Sue Procko, owner of the public relations firm SPPR, emphasizes the importance of face time, not only to provide your staff with constructive feedback, but so they can do the same to you.

A weekly meeting with each member might not be feasible if your work force is huge, but try to catch up with employees as often as you can to see how they’re doing, as well as uncover any potential issues they might have, before these become bigger problems.

Offer Appropriate Training
Committing time, resources and a budget to training is a worthwhile commitment for both you and your staff. By allowing them to progress, you’re not only providing support for their personal development, but improving your own workforce by encouraging them to advance the skills they need to perform effectively.

Whether you look into course subscriptions – such as Lynda.com – send them to conferences and training days, or bring speakers in, there are plenty of ways you can go above and beyond to train up your staff.

Office Décor and Facilities
Having a packed-out games room in the office isn’t strictly necessary, but a nicely decorated, well-kept environment will improve comfort and increase productivity. 

Improve the Office Layout
Not only does having a clean office reduce the chances of germs spreading and illness festering, but it improves productivity by lessening mess-related stress. So where possible, keep rooms as well-lit as possible to reduce headaches, eyestrain and blurred vision.

A bit of decorative branding is also great for creating a relaxed atmosphere, while always keeping the company on employees’ minds.

Make the Office Comfy
While installing a 20 ft.-long slide, like the managers at the Workshop did, isn’t a necessity, granting staff access to simple pleasures, like a great, well-functioning coffee machine or filtered, cold water can go a long way to improving morale. If you can stretch to further additions, like comfy sofas and TVs in the lunch rooms, then do.

At the very least, treat staff to branded tea and coffee; bulk-buying cheap products doesn’t give the best impression about your business, and you’ll only end up wasting money in the end when people decide to avoid it.

Let Your Employees be Mobile
If an employee needs to find a quiet space to work, let them. Chances are they’ll get more done than they would staying in a room full of distractions. Many business have now embraced hot-desking, where workers sit where they like, rather than at pre-assigned workstations. (Note: various pros and cons have been highlighted about this new practice.). Still other companies have dedicated whole rooms to peace and quiet to enable workers to perform to their full potential. And if you trust your team to work from home, there’s no harm allowing this every so often. The respect you show by trusting them to do so will undoubtedly be returned.

If you’re looking to improve your team’s productivity, take a look at your business and determine if you can incorporate any of these quick, and mostly budget-friendly, tips to boosting morale. Whether you need a change to the office structure, to incorporate more learning and progression opportunities, or to provide an occasional treat, sometimes it’s the little things that can turn your staff —  and business — around in a big way!