Marcus RichardsThe workplace is full of stress and pressure, but it can be especially hard for employees to keep their motivation high. After all, you spend at least 40 hours a week in the presence of your coworkers, and that’s not even counting time spent out of the office with them.
Recent statistics suggest that employees work 18% better when they are motivated, and there’s 81% less absenteeism when employees are engaged and driven. It is why it’s important to make sure your employees are having fun and feeling inspired while they’re at work. If you want to create an environment where everyone feels motivated daily, here are some tips for keeping things fun and exciting.
Plan a Happy Hour
A happy hour is a great way to boost employee morale. It’s also fun for employees to get together, socialize, and bond. And as we all know, happy people are productive people. Happy hours should be planned at least once a month, so your employees have something to look forward to at work.
On Fridays, you can plan an office happy hour during lunchtime or after work. However, if you want your staff members’ attendance rates to be higher than usual, consider planning it during the weekend since most people don’t have classes or meetings scheduled on Saturdays and Sundays.
Gratitude Wall
An effective way to boost employee morale at work is to create a gratitude wall in your office. It’s all about recognizing the efforts of your employees and acknowledging their hard work, especially when they have gone above and beyond. It can be done by putting up posters on the walls that say things like “Thanks for being awesome” or “You rocked it today! Well done!”
You could also get the team together for an event where everyone gets to write what they are grateful for on pieces of paper, then put them all up on the wall as well. The best part about this activity is that everyone can share what makes them happy in their job and compliment each other on how far they have come and how far they still need to go.
Give Them Time Off
Giving your employees time off is a great way to boost employee motivation. While 37% of workers don’t use all their paid time off (PTO), it shows that you appreciate their hard work and care about them as individuals. In addition, employees need to take breaks throughout the day to rest and recharge their minds before working on another project.
If you want to boost employee motivation at the workplace post covid, consider giving them some time off from work after completing a big project or milestone. It will allow them more time with family members who may need support now more than ever due to illness or the death of loved ones in the family.
Ensure Flexibility
Flexibility is a great way to show your employees you appreciate them. And when it comes to flexible work arrangements, many different types of flexibility can help boost employee motivation. The Gartner 2021 Digital Worker Experience Survey revealed that 44% of employees feel they are more productive when there’s work flexibility.
Flexibility can mean allowing employees to work from home or on the weekend, providing ample paid time off (PTO), or offering a more flexible schedule for working 9-to-5 hours daily.
Recognize the Efforts
Recognition plays an important role in any employee’s motivation. Employees who feel appreciated and recognized for the efforts they put in their work are more likely to build a positive attitude towards work. A positive attitude will eventually lead them to perform better and make your organization successful.
To motivate employees, you need to promptly acknowledge their efforts when they do something extraordinary or do their job well. The recognition should be specific about the individual’s achievement rather than general praise like “good job!” so that employees know exactly what has been recognized. It also helps if this recognition is meaningful, as it will reinforce their behavior further through self-reinforcement
Help in Dealing With Stress and Burnout
Being employed can be stressful. A survey from the American Psychological Association found that 64% of employees reported at least one symptom of burnout. It can negatively affect your performance at work and lead to a decrease in productivity.
To prevent this, taking care of yourself physically and mentally is important. By maintaining a healthy lifestyle, you’ll be better equipped to handle your job’s stresses while feeling more energized throughout the day.
Encourage Your Employees to Boost Their Morale
Employee morale is a great way to boost employee engagement and, in turn, increase productivity. Employees engaged in their work are more motivated and productive than those who feel disengaged. Many organizations have Employee Recognition Programs that help them understand the needs of their employees and meet them to boost engagement and morale.
The first step towards improving employee morale at the workplace post-Covid is encouraging your employees during tough times. Encouraging can be done through recognizing their efforts, giving timely feedback on work performance, etc. The next step is rewarding good performers with incentives or bonuses while penalizing poor performers by reprimanding and lowering motivation levels, so they quit of their own accord without having to fire them.
Conclusion
If there’s one thing we can all agree on, the best way to boost employee morale is by helping them feel appreciated. Of course, this isn’t something you can do overnight. It takes time, effort, and patience. But if you want your employees to be happy and productive members of your team, then now is the time to start.
