Increasing Employee Morale: Advice from the Experts

Previously we discussed the staggering impact a bad hire can have on your company, and provided some of the steps that could be taken to avoid such a costly mistake. However, it’s no secret that you’ll find yourself doing far less recruiting if you’re simply able to retain your top talent in the first place.

We earlier examined 4 unique strategies that Motorlease clients have employed in an effort to boost employee satisfaction. This week, we’ll hear from the experts. Here are 9 tried-and-true tips from industry leaders that are guaranteed to elevate employee morale, and help keep your top employees in-house.

In This Article

Promote from Within
Open Communication
Include Families
Let Them Take the Reins
Confront Frustrations Head On
On-board more effectively
Take Time to Creatively Celebrate Accomplishments
Embrace flexible working
Update your technology

Promote from Within

“When your employees see that there is room to advance their career within your organization, it speaks volumes.

Find out what skills and talents the different members of your crew possess and find ways to develop those skills for future use in your business.

When you have a stellar team member, help invest in the training they need to advance as your company grows.”

(Cheryl Conner, CEO, SnappConner PR, as seen on Forbes)

Open Communication

“Many companies have an open-door policy where even the newest or lowest-ranking employee can come to the CEO with a concern about the company.

Try practicing this open communication across all employee levels. We have all heard of those CEOs who do a site visit only to shake hands with the deep-pocket clients, and who fail to say hello to the employees who are doing the work and making the deal possible.

Don’t be that kind of person. Make sure your team knows that professional communication that goes both ways is appropriate and welcome.”

(Marissa Dragoo, Special Counsel, Littler Learning Group, as seen on SHRM)

Include Families

“Whether it’s a “bring your kids to work day,” or simply an open invitation for significant others at your next happy hour, including families helps employees see a more human side of each other. It gives them little glimpses into each other’s home lives, which helps people feel more connected.”

(Caroline Whitney, Author, JustWorks, as seen on JustWorks Blog)

Let Them Take the Reins

“It may be in your nature to micromanage, but sometimes employees want to be the ones in control, so don’t stand over their shoulders all the time.

This doesn’t help them grow and certainly doesn’t boost morale.

Encourage your workers to come up with their own ideas and support their creative endeavors. You can even take it one step further and create leadership development programs where your younger workers aren’t just being told what to do, but they’re also being trained to move beyond their job descriptions.”

(Vivian Giang, Business Writer, Freelance, as seen on Business Insider)

Confront Frustrations Head On

“Even with well-deserved compliments and concrete goals to work toward, it’s completely normal for your team members to experience moments of low team morale. But instead of waiting for these periods to naturally pass, use moments of frustration to seek feedback and look for solutions.

Proactively find out from your team members why they’re feeling down and what you could do to better manage them. These conversations can be awkward at first, but they’re also a great way to get honest and helpful feedback.

To break the ice, try sharing a personal story about a time you were feeling frustrated with your workload or with a past manager. Also emphasize to each employee that you’re seeking her help in boosting team morale, and encourage her to make suggestions on how to improve the team dynamic.”

(Ashley Fidel, MBA Candidate, MIT Sloan School of Management, as seen on TheMuse)

On-board more effectively

“If your business is growing quickly and you’ve little time to spare, it can be tempting to do away with a formal on-boarding program for new hires. But be warned: Skipping on-boarding has negative consequences for both employee happiness and your business.

Research shows that organizations with structured processes for on-boarding increase new hire productivity by 70 percent and retention by 82%. That’s a strong indication that on-boarding is a foundation for engagement and, subsequently, may influence employee happiness.”

(Sonja Jacob, Director of Marketing, DocSend, as seen on Zenefits)

Take Time to Creatively Celebrate Accomplishments

“It’s natural to focus on what’s ahead rather than reflect on how much has been achieved. Taking time to reflect, though, helps employees appreciate how much they have done.

All departments at Acuity, a financial-services company based in Sheboygan, Wis., are asked each year to recognize their own work by providing a list of significant accomplishments of their team.

The lists are reviewed by Acuity officers, who select the 100 most outstanding achievements for inclusion in a “Top 100 Accomplishments” list. The latest list was designed as a book, Acuity World Records, with the help of Guinness World Records, and given to all 831 employees.”

(Marcus Erb, Vice President, Great Place to Work®, as seen on Entrepreneur)

Embrace flexible working

“If you believe the government, it’s the future. But even if you don’t, research shows that employees who have some level of control over how and where they work are happier than those crammed into the same office from nine till five every day.

As Peter Fleming puts it, “human beings thrive on mastery and self-development”. When we’re in charge of our own performance we’re likely to want more from ourselves than when we’re working to someone else’s standards.”

(Harriet Minter, Former Editor, The Guardian, as seen on The Guardian)

Update your technology

“Providing your employees with a consumer-grade work experience, in regards to the hardware and software they need to do their job, is extremely important when it comes to employee satisfaction. Old, inefficient technology is a major frustration for today’s workers, with 45% of survey respondents saying they spend a huge portion of their day navigating outdated technologies.

By providing your employees with the tools they need, you’re not only showing them that you value their job, but that you value the advancement of technology, as well. Don’t let technology pass you by, update your technology to fit today’s bill and your workers will become more satisfied and more productive.”

(Latané Conant, Chief Marketing Officer, Appirio, as seen on Salesforce)

For over 70 years, Motorlease has been assisting our clients retain their top employees.

Check out the video below to hear our clients describe their drivers’ experience with Motorlease in their own words.