5 Ways to engage your staff and increase morale

If your team turn up excited, smiling and ready to tackle challenges every day, you’re definitely doing something right. But it’s likely that isn’t always the scenario and there’s a chance they could be a lot happier. When it comes to business, there’s nothing worse than an unhappy vibe among a group, especially if it impacts productivity. A good starting point is to determine if the office environment, whether it be real space or virtual like www.servcorp.co.th/en/serviced-offices/, is the right fit for you and the success you want to achieve. With that in mind, there are other factors you can also consider to create a more harmonious and productive working environment for you and your staff.

Show respect and appreciation

We all want to be respected and appreciated, but even at work employees like to know they have left a good impression and aren’t being taken for granted. Recognise the efforts of your team and show it in a way that is meaningful for them. Another way to show your team you appreciate them is through organised events like parties or dinners. Employees are happier and in turn more productive and conducive to learning when they know their efforts have been noticed and recognised.

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Flexible work arrangements

These days many employees are looking for employment opportunities that provide flexible hours. Depending on the business type, offering a wide range of working hours can improve productivity among employees. Job sharing or even the ability to work from home are also highly valued by prospective job seekers, especially those looking for a better work-life balance.

Team building exercises

While it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, team building exercises are a great way of engaging staff in a more friendly and fun environment. It gives everyone the opportunity to let their hair down a little while promoting co-operation and connection with others. Events that help break up the everyday routine will help build team rapport, encourage ongoing engagement, increase productivity during work hours and provide a major upswing in employee morale. It’s also another way to encourage staff to work together to help achieve greater outcomes.

Lead by example

If you can’t beat them, join them or at least spend more time at a grass roots level and be one with your employees. Yes, it is important to be a boss and take the lead but it’s also vital to ensure you are leading by example as well. A business doesn’t function without its staff, so it’s important to remember they are the lifeline of your business. If employees see someone higher-up or co-workers make an effort to be a positive asset to the team, those employees will receive validation that positivity is the norm and conduct themselves accordingly.

Listen to your staff

Be more in tune with your team, listen to their concerns and respond accordingly. When employees aren’t feeling engaged, they are less productive and overall company efficiency suffers. But listening to your team members is about more than just sitting back, nodding and smiling. Employees need to know that they can trust leadership to truly care about what they’re telling them with reassurance that they can reach out at any time. Come up with ways to talk to your staff on a regular basis, whether it be as a group or one-on-one, with emails or letters or even teleconferencing.

Although the long-term impact of employee happiness is hard to measure, it’s easy to tell when a company has happy employees. Those companies are often efficient, productive and able to hold on to employees longer. For business owners, caring about the happiness of your staff should be top priority, not an afterthought so put in the groundwork early to maintain and keep a great working relationship.