10 Effective Ways to Boost Employee Morale at Work

Employee morale is the driving force behind your company’s success. 

Happy, engaged, and motivated employees are more likely to perform well, positively impacting productivity, customer satisfaction, and, ultimately, your bottom line. 

On the other hand, low morale leads to decreased productivity, more absenteeism, and high turnover – a big no-no for any business.

But no stress – we’ve got you covered. 

Check out these 10 simple and effective ways to boost employee morale and motivate your team to put their best foot forward every day.

Communication permeates every aspect of a workplace, shaping how employees interact and collaborate. It’s vital for setting clear expectations and empowering employees to perform their jobs without the guesswork or unnecessary back and forth. 

Clear and consistent communication also saves time and prevents mistakes and frustration, shows employees that you care about them, and enhances employee engagement and motivation.

However, it can be particularly difficult to communicate effectively if you work with non-desk teams that are constantly on the go.

How to implement it

If you’re able to, consider scheduling regular meetings with each employee to check in with them, communicate expectations, discuss progress, and clear up any confusion. If in-person meetings aren’t possible, you can hold 1:1 meetings virtually with video conferencing apps like Zoom.

You should also use an employee communicaton app, like Connecteam, to keep your team connected. Create interactive 1:1 and group chats right in the app and share important updates and announcements on the company newsfeed to help foster a team environment and keep everyone aligned.

Transparency between you and your employees is crucial for creating a healthy and productive work environment. When leaders openly share information about company goals, challenges, and decisions, it creates trust and a sense of ownership among employees. 

This openness combats speculation and feelings of being out of the loop, which can lead to frustration and decreased morale. As a result, employees will feel more invested in their work and are more likely to go the extra mile.

How to implement it

Transparency should be an integral part of your communication strategy. If your team structure allows for it, hold monthly team meetings in person or via video call to update everyone on company goals and challenges. 

You should also regularly share these events as they occur on your mobile company newsfeed. Sharing company updates, both the hardships and the wins, creates a collaborative and team-oriented atmosphere.

Appreciation is a feeling we all crave – and your employees are no exception.

Be sure to recognize your staff for their achievements and celebrate a job well done – however big or small. This way, you’ll make them feel valued and seen, boost their morale, and inspire them to keep up the good work.

How to implement it

Instead of waiting for Employee Appreciation Day, keep your employees feeling appreciated all year round by creating an employee recognition program.

Use digital recognition and rewards to put your employees in the spotlight, reward their hard work, and promote a culture of excellence. 

With an employee management app like Connecteam, you can send customized badges to individual employees or publicly recognize their achievements to the company with the Updates feature. Or, show your appreciation with digital tokens that employees can redeem for gift cards to their favorite retailers.

Showing your staff that you value their input is essential to employee satisfaction and motivation. 

When employees feel heard, they are more committed to their work and more likely to trust their employers. Therefore, collecting and acting upon employee feedback will improve morale, performance, and retention. 

And another plus? You can use these insights to make better decisions to improve your workplace and daily operations.

How to implement it

You can use both formal and informal methods to gather employee feedback. Here are a few examples of each:

Formal methods include:

• Employee satisfaction surveys: Conduct anonymous employee surveys periodically to gauge satisfaction across various aspects of the work environment, including communication, workload, and company culture.
• Performance reviews: Integrate a feedback section into performance reviews where employees can anonymously or confidentially share their thoughts on their role, manager, and the company overall.
• Focus groups: Organize focus groups with employees from different departments to discuss specific topics or areas for improvement. This allows for in-depth discussions and diverse perspectives.

Informal methods include:

• Open-door policy: Encourage an open-door policy where employees feel comfortable approaching you or an HR representative with any questions or concerns, either in person or via your communication app.
• One-on-one meetings: Schedule regular one-on-one meetings with employees to discuss their work, goals, and any challenges they might be facing. Use this opportunity to ask open-ended questions that encourage feedback.
• Feedback channels: Create online feedback channels, like suggestion forms, where employees can share their thoughts at their own convenience.

Underpaid employees experience frustration, resentment, and decreased motivation. When you private fair and competitive compensation, you demonstrate that your company values your employees’ skills and hard work, leading to better morale. 

You may even want to go as far as providing a transparent pay structure to create a more open and honest work environment.  

How to implement it

To ensure you provide employees with fair pay:

• Use salary surveys: Utilize salary surveys specific to your industry, location, and job titles to provide benchmarks for average salaries and compensation packages.
• Analyze your competitors: Research what your competitors are offering for similar positions. You can also analyze salary ranges listed in job postings for similar roles in your area.
• Create pay grades and ranges: Create pay grades or bands for different job categories, with set salary ranges within each grade to develop a framework for compensation decisions.
• Perform regular reviews: Conduct pay equity audits to identify and address any potential gender, race, or other protected class pay gaps within your business.
• Hold regular performance reviews: Organize regular performance reviews to evaluate employees’ contributions and justify pay increases or bonuses based on merit.
• Consider cost-of-living adjustments: Consider cost-of-living adjustments to salaries, especially in areas with a high cost of living.

Investing in your employees’ personal and professional development shows them you value their career growth. It also gives them a sense of purpose and opportunity, leading to a more engaged workforce.

Remember: Providing good training and development opportunities will enable your team to develop their skills, produce high-quality work, and become more valuable assets to your organization. It’s a win-win.

How to implement it:

• Establish a mentorship program. Experienced employees can volunteer to guide and support less experienced teammates to help them learn new skills and provide career guidance.
• Offer training programs: Provide opportunities for employees to learn new skills relevant to their current role or future career aspirations. This can include in-house workshops, online courses with an employee training app, or tuition reimbursement for external courses.
• Project leadership opportunities: Encourage participation in cross-functional projects where employees can take on leadership roles and learn new skills outside their comfort zone.

Promoting a healthy work-life balance for your employees isn’t just about being nice; it’s a smart business decision. 

When employees are constantly stressed and overwhelmed by work, it leads to burnout, decreased productivity, and higher absenteeism. In contrast, employees who feel they have time for both work and personal obligations experience a range of benefits. 

They come to work feeling refreshed and energized, are more focused, and are less likely to make mistakes.

How to implement it

Here are a few tips to promote a healthy work-life balance: 

• Be fair with scheduling. When creating the schedule, avoid assigning clopening shifts and do your best to abide by employee preferences and availability. 
• Respect boundaries and time off: Encourage employees to use their paid time off and let them know you prefer them not to work outside of designated hours.
• Encourage breaks and time away: Discourage working through lunch breaks and encourage employees to take short breaks throughout the day to recharge.
• Offer resources and support: Provide access to wellness programs, employee assistance programs (EAPs), or resources for stress management to support employees’ overall well-being.

Think of your company culture as your business’s personality. This includes shared beliefs, values, attitudes, and behaviors that define how your business operates as well as how employees interact with each other.

When employees feel their values align with their company’s mission, they are more likely to feel a sense of belonging and purpose at work.

How to implement it

Developing company culture isn’t as simple as it may seem, and it’s particularly difficult if you have non-desk teams with employees in multiple locations.

However, don’t be discouraged, it’s still possible. You can develop a thriving company culture by:

• Reflecting your business’s values: Your company’s mission and values should be the backbone of your company culture. Make sure employees understand them so they feel a part of the culture, and make sure your actions always reflect the company’s values. 
• Implementing communication tools: Utilize communicatoin tools such as chat apps, project management tools, video conferencing platforms, and a cloud-based document sharing app to keep team members aligned across locations.
• Sharing company-wide announcements regularly: Announce company news, milestones, and employee recognitions through a company-wide communication app.
• Holding team events: If you’re able to organize in-person events, hold team gatherings that reflect your company culture. For example, if you’re company culture is laid back and casual, a team happy hour at a local pub could be fitting.

Team-building activities are a fun way to promote a positive and collaborative work environment, open communication, and out-of-the-box thinking. They provide a break from daily work tasks, reducing stress and promoting job satisfaction. 

How to implement it

If you’re able to arrange in-person activities, consider group outings like a meal at a restaurant or a team hike to allow your staff to relax and hang out together. You could also arrange games like scavenger hunts or trivia games.

And if you’re managing employees from afar, you’ve got options! Check out these team-building games for remote-working teams. 

A few great options include:

• Online escape rooms: Many escape room companies offer virtual experiences. Check out this list by Quiz Breaker of the 20 Best Online Escape Rooms.
• Virtual game nights: Utilize online platforms to play games together, like trivia nights, board games, or even Pictionary.
• Virtual happy hour: A virtual happy hour is a social gathering held online, allowing colleagues to connect and unwind in a casual setting. Tell everyone to come with a drink or snack and provide a quick game to encourage everyone to kick back and relax, even from afar.

A team that trusts each other and its managers will thrive. 

When employees feel confident their co-workers and managers have their backs, it creates a sense of security and psychological safety, translating to a more positive and collaborative work environment. 

Team members are also more likely to openly share ideas, take risks, and support each other.

How to implement it

Team trust must be earned. Here’s a few ways how:

• Keep your promises: Following through on commitments, big or small, demonstrates reliability and builds confidence.
• Empower your team: Delegate tasks, provide autonomy, and give your team the opportunity to own their work to show trust in their abilities.
• Admit mistakes and learn from them: Everyone makes mistakes. Owning up to yours and using them as learning opportunities fosters trust and authenticity.
• Be approachable and available: Make yourself available for questions, concerns, and casual conversation to build a sense of open communication.

Boost Team Morale with the #1 Employee Management App

Connecteam’s employee management app is designed specifically for the non-desk workforce to help you promote team morale and a positive company culture.

These are a few key features to help you boost employee morale right from your mobile device:

• Send employee recognition and rewards. Make your employees feel valued and appreciated with rewards and recognition features like customized digital badges and tokens they can redeem for gift cards to their favorite retailers. 
• Streamline employee communication. Connecteam comes with in-app online team chat for 1:1 and group chats, a social media-style newsfeed for company updates and announcements, and a complete employee directory with staff contact info. This way, you can ensure two-way communication between you and your team no matter where everyone is working with the addition of chat, likes, emojis, and gifs.
• Mobile onboarding and training. Onboard new employees quickly and efficiently and create customized training courses for team members to complete right from their phones, even while on the go.

• Hold team events. Announce, promote, and coordinate team events right from the Connecteam app. Include all key information, customize details, and allow employees to react to events and confirm attendance from anywhere. 
• Create customized polls and surveys to gather feedback. Instantly gather feedback from the field with customizable polls and surveys. Create multiple question types including multiple choice and open-ended and instantly send them to employees for real-time feedback.

You can even create open-ended survey forms and keep them in the company knowledge base for employees to access whenever they want.

In addition, Connecteam offers excellent customer service, a user-friendly interface, workforce management tools, and complete customizability. 

Connecteam’s paid plan starts at just $29 per month for up to 30 users, and small businesses with fewer than 10 users can access the app completely free.

Get started with Connecteam for free today!

The Impact of Positive Employee Morale 

Happy and motivated employees are the driving force behind your company’s success. 

To break it down, positive employee morale: 

• Leads to increased workplace productivity, efficiency, and quality of work. 
• Keeps your company afloat during hard times. As opposed to a demotivated workforce, your team will likely make every effort to help you succeed if morale is high.
• Helps attract and retain top talent. Positive work environments and happy employees can be your greatest hiring asset. You can even involve employees in your hiring process.  
• Helps reduce your business costs. Think of this domino effect: high employee morale reduces absences, workplace stress, and accidents, resulting in less paid time off. 

6 Common Causes of Low Employee Morale

Ineffective Communication

Poor communication between you and your employees can lead to misunderstandings, confusion, and feelings of isolation.

After all, without proper internal communication, it is nearly impossible for your team to understand what is expected of them, see the larger picture, or even understand what is going on in the company in the first place.

Especially remote employees are prone to feeling disconnected, out of the loop, and voiceless.

People feeling this way become disengaged and unmotivated to do their best.

Lack of Growth Opportunities

Low staff morale can stem from a lack of professional and personal growth opportunities. Employees can become bored, unmotivated, and disengaged without development opportunities or new challenges. As a result, employees may eventually leave for a more challenging position.

Internal changes

Changes such as restructuring, layoffs, or mergers can create uncertainty and anxiety among employees, leading to job insecurity, mistrust, and low morale. 

Similarly, company policies, procedures, or leadership changes can cause confusion and frustration if not communicated effectively. Overall, when your company culture changes, so does staff morale.

Poor Leadership

More often than not, poor leadership causes low employee morale, so those in leadership positions must understand how their behavior affects the team. A poor leadership style can manifest in many ways, such as micromanagement, lack of feedback, inconsistency, or favoritism. 

When leaders fail to inspire, guide, and support their teams effectively, employees can become disengaged, demotivated, and disconnected.

Insufficient Recognition

When you fail to recognize and reward your staff for their hard work, they will feel undervalued or overlooked.

As a result, they will become disengaged and disinterested in their work, which will negatively affect morale and demotivate them from doing their best.

Unhealthy Work-Life Balance

Poor work-life balance can lead to low employee morale, stress, burnout, and disengagement – AKA an unhappy workforce. 

Factors contributing to this issue include a lack of scheduling flexibility, long hours, excessive workloads, and unrealistic expectations.