We have all been stuck in environments that suck the life out of us. Make the changes possible in your workplace to implement a positive culture for your team.
Be transparent
You may feel tempted, in a workplace with low staff morale, to ignore the problem. You often want to shield your team from any bad news, but that has the opposite effect from what was intended.. The unknown worry and unstated concerns can cause low morale across the company. Be open, honest, and direct with your employees about the future, their role, and their performance. Let them know what the company needs in order for them to continue to be successful. The honest information and feedback will give your team comfort in knowing that they fully understand the state of the company.
Implement team building activities
Develop team building activities that promote inclusion and engagement. In the current climate, virtual happy hours, virtual game nights, and encouraging positive reinforcement can all be effective ways to foster a teamwork environment. Find creative ways to build the team up and cheer each other on wherever possible.
Be human
Schedule regular meetings (online or in-person) to check in on your team and maintain positive employee morale. The team actively looks at the management to lead the overall sentiment of the team. Take the time to show employees you care about them – they need to know you care about them personally. This means setting up programs and taking proactive steps to put health and happiness first regardless of the impact on the bottom line. Find out what is important to them and find a way to foster that. For example, you can hire a personal trainer and institute weekly workout sessions through a video conference with yoga or cardio training.
Celebrate large and small success regularly
Focus on the positive and recognize a job well done however big or small. Implement congratulatory measures to celebrate each successful milestone along the way. Introduce employee co-recognition programs. At Intel Corporation, they implemented an employee recognition program where any colleague can pay another $25 for a job well done. These increments are loaded onto a debit card lovingly dubbed “goodie drawers.” This is a nice way to tell peers, colleagues, and direct reports you appreciate their hard work.
Reward performance
If employees feel they’re going to get the same pay regardless of performance, they can feel stagnant and uninspired. To keep employees motivated, give them a sense of progress that they have something to look forward to. Though promotions are not always possible, offer classes or provide the opportunity to attend conferences that will improve their skills. You will motivate the team when you provide a sense of recognition and growth opportunities as a reward.
