As we move deeper into the winter months, days are getting darker, people are feeling more tired and isolated due to increased time indoors, and overall the winter blues are just about in full swing for many. Keeping up employee morale ensures that workers are not coming in exhausted and unmotivated. Additionally, low worker morale is associated with decreased productivity and efficiency of workers. Working from home for a year or seeing less business activity due to the pandemic may be affecting your employees just as much as it is affecting you — they too have a stake in the success of your company and want to see it grow and flourish.
There are other reasons to pay attention to how your employees are feeling, since fostering a high worker morale leads to a high level of motivation and workplace competitiveness that will be a key component in increasing the success of your company. If your employees are feeling good about their work, they will be willing to collaborate and go that extra step in order to push your business to and above your next goal.
What can you do as a business owner to ensure that the cold weather, darker days, and more time spent at home don’t negatively affect the quality of life of your employees and, as a result, affect the way your business is running? There are many strategies and small steps you can take in order to boost morale; here are some of our recommendations you can keep your business flourishing regardless of the tough times we are facing:
- Communicate: Share with your employees any positive company news or breakthroughs like hitting a new milestone, getting hired for a large project, creating a new product — get your employees excited about the work that is being done.
- Celebrate Employee Accomplishments: When one of your employees does something worth recognizing, make sure to point it out and ensure that they know their good work is not going unnoticed or under-appreciated.
- Encourage Taking REAL Breaks: Many people choose to take a 5-10 minute lunch break or bring their food in front of their laptop and work while eating, avoiding taking a break in their day to breathe and have some time to themselves. Workers are more productive and happier if they take time in the middle of the day to reset.
- Encourage Feedback from your Employees: The workplace should be a comfortable environment where you can comment on places your employees could improve, as well as allowing your employees to also provide input on where the company can improve. Ways to ask for feedback can include one-on-one conversations, surveys, or open townhall-like meetings where employees can offer feedback in a group setting.
- Organize Team-Building Activities: Try playing educational and collaborative games that will get your employees thinking of out of the box solutions to complete game objectives. A fun and engaging option is sending your employees on a scavenger hunt to complete small tasks in teams.
- Get your Employees Outside: Nothing is harder in the winter months than going to work in the dark and then coming home in the dark as well, so encourage your employees to get outside of the office and soak up some of the winter sunshine.
- Add Plants to the Office Space: Studies have shown that having plants in the workplace increases productivity and reduces stress, which can help workers stay positive especially during the winter months.
Whatever program you choose to implement in your company, whether it be group bonding activities, a weekly employee recognition email, or covering the office with greenery, at Evans Brothers Consulting, we want to make sure your business is running at maximum productivity. Let us help you implement your plan to keep worker morale high during these winter months and beyond.