How to Improve Employee Morale in Tough Times

It doesn’t take a genius to work out that, whatever business you’re in, things aren’t quite as good as they were. This will affect you as the owner, but it will also affect those people who work for you. They might have to be filling in for people you can’t afford to replace or putting in extra time (paid or otherwise), to make sure important projects are finished on time.

Situations like these will inevitably affect morale, and it should be a priority for you to take steps to make sure that this doesn’t become a problem. This is easier said than done, as you probably already have more than enough balls to juggle as it is. That said, there are some easy wins, that if you don’t have in place already, you should start working towards today.

Improve Staff Training

In situations where your workers must wear more than one hat, you need to make sure they have all the information they need to do things properly. The benefits of this should be obvious, but when you are pressed for time and budget, both you and the employee are likely to opt to leave it for another day.

However, training isn’t a luxury, and a better-trained employee is likely to get more done, freeing up more time for them. They are also likely to feel more empowered about what they are doing, which will raise their morale and have them coming in, if not with a spring in their step, without any extra weight on their shoulders.

Recognise Achievement

In tough times, performing above and beyond might seem like it is expected as standard, but a failure to recognise effort and achievement (not always the same thing) will only send morale in one direction. For this reason, you need to start giving something to those who go the extra mile, and that does not just mean a photo on the break room wall.

By looking for Unique gifts for each person who does something extra, you are showing that you are not just giving away ‘perks’ like a small bar of chocolate, but something personal to them, and something that can be appreciated. The more reputable companies that source these for you will have a massive range, from small Star Wars-themed items to bigger things like pampering days or driving experiences. This way, no achievement needs to go unrecognised, and it shouldn’t blow a hole in your budget.

Regular Meetings

One other area where morale can quickly be raised is by communicating what is going on. This does not mean telling everyone every little detail, but regular meetings to show how things stand, both good and bad. It also provides an opportunity to those who work for you to give their input, which can be an important source of new ideas, and this is something which your business might sorely need. Having experts on speed dial is useful, but so is five minutes of common sense from those that do the job.