Every year companies spend large amounts of time and money training their employees. After such an investment occurs, both parties look forward to a long and prosperous relationship. Spirits are high and enthusiasm becomes a contagion. Things around the office seem a bit brighter and production increases.
The problem comes when over time tasks are no longer new and fresh, but routine. Output is still on the high end, but you notice a distinct pall in the atmosphere. Little by little you begin to see a decrease in vivacity until one day you realize most everyone appears to be down in the dumps. The jovial banter that made each day special has been exchanged for polite but curt interaction. Productivity lessens; attitude becomes apathetic; and the worst part is that no one seems to care!
Current studies show that while decent pay and employee benefits are the impetus for bringing workers into your company, keeping them there requires something more. A recent poll shows the top 5 things employees agree directly relate to their work morale are:
5. Unexpected bonuses/perks. These are a great idea, but tend to be short term and can easily become expected, so use with care.
4. Good communication. Make sure you and your employees are on the same page. Have aligned expectations. Both sides need to be able to understand what the end goal is.
3. Respect. As with other areas of life, showing courtesy goes a long way in having a person feel that they are just as important as every other employee in the organization.
2. Having a ‘voice’. An employee is more likely to contribute and put in extra effort if they know their opinion counts. Actually implementing ideas brought up by employees other than supervisory staff, whether they end up working out or not, might just give everyone the hope they are looking for.
1. Recognition. The simplest and most affective means of morale boosting is letting your employees know they are an integral part of your company and you appreciate their efforts. Whether by public acclamation, letter or verbal kudos, everyone reacts better to praise.
Implementing these simple and inexpensive ideas can help keep those hard working employees you have from moving on to greener pastures.
BeezBuzz is supported by Precision Analytics ~ Charleston, SC
