How to Improve Employee Morale and Job Satisfaction

There’s no question about it, employee morale and job satisfaction have a huge impact on employee retention, productivity and the overall success of a business. That’s because high levels of morale and job satisfactions help:

• Improve employee engagement 
• Improve access to top talent
• Increase employee referrals 
• Improve brand and company reputation 
• Ensure customers are getting the best service 

In this blog, we are going to look at ways to improve employee morale and job satisfaction. But first, let’s take what employee morale and job satisfaction are and some tell-tale signs that you may have a problem with them. 

What is employee morale? 

Employee morale is the feelings and attitudes of your team members. Happy employees will have a positive work attitude. Frustrated, stressed or discouraged employees will have a negative attitude that often results in low productivity and quality of work, as well as high turnover rates.  

What is job satisfaction?

Job satisfaction is the amount of enjoyment employees have when they are in the workplace. Job satisfaction plays a big role in productivity and maximizing employee potential. A lack of job satisfaction can lead to poor performance, absenteeism and high turnover. 

Signs of low morale and job satisfaction 

There are several signs that a company’s morale and employee satisfaction is going downhill. To help you catch poor morale and satisfaction before it spreads, keep an eye out for these signs: 

1. Dwindling productivity 
2. Lack of initiative 
3. High absenteeism 
4. Low engagement 
5. Emotional outbursts or changes in personality 
6. Poor performance 
7. High employee turnover 

If you are starting to see some of these signs at your workplace, it’s time to start working on improving employee morale and job satisfaction. 

How to improve employee morale and job satisfaction

The good news is, there are lots of steps you can take to help your employees have a more positive experience with your brand. Key areas you should focus on are working conditions, support from management and job security. Other more specific ways to help are: 

Taking the time to recognize employees shows that you care and that you value the work that they are doing. But it isn’t just about management taking the time to say thank you and appreciate their staff, you also want to encourage a culture where employees recognize each other and show gratitude where it’s deserved. 

There are lots of different employee recognition programs you can implement in your workplace. While some of these are more advanced, they can take time to implement. To get started now, consider some of these easy tools for creating a culture of recognition: 

• Have a monthly meeting where you provide updates on success and upcoming projects. Be sure to highlight key contributions from employees so that they know their hard work is being seen. 
• Implement a shout-out program where employees submit thank you and shout-outs to be read out at a meeting or shared with staff. 
• Consider offering an award each week or month to an employee that truly went above and beyond. This gift doesn’t have to be massive, a small gift card or lunch delivery can go a long way. 
• Treat your team to a fun recreational activity, like an off-site adventure / race game!

Helping employees build connections with one another is critical to creating a sense of belonging. And it is this feeling that will help your employee feel like they’re part of something bigger and increase their sense of loyalty towards the company and their coworkers. 

Teambuilding activities are a great way to teach employees new skills and help them bond. These activities can range from a one hour potluck lunch to a whole-day experience offsite. 

These activities act as a reward, help with mental wellbeing and increase engagement among your employees.

Setting goals can help your employees feel like they’re truly working for something. This can help reduce the monotony of day-to-day work and push aside thoughts of: “What’s the point?” and “What am I really achieving?”

Work with each employee and team to set long term goals that will help your employees challenge themselves and grow as part of a team and individually. But don’t stop there. You also want to help them set short-term goals that are easier to achieve. This will fill in the gaps between larger goals and allow for continual wins that help your employees maintain positive emotions about the work they do. 

You also want to be sure your employees know that you are there to help. Work with them and find them mentors who can help them reach their potential and succeed. 

If your employees feel like they’re doing well and are a contributing factor in the business’s success, they’ll have more positive feelings towards their employment. This can help increase morale and job satisfaction. 

To help increase the likelihood of success, your employees need to know what their job is and how to do it. One of the most effective ways to nurture these needs is to provide excellent onboarding and training. This will help ensure your employees are properly prepared and equipped to do their job 

During the onboarding process, take the time to really help your employees get to know the business and their coworkers. This will help them build connections that improve their feeling of belonging. 

While you may be tempted to get them started on projects right away so they can begin producing, resist the temptation. The first two to four weeks of employment are when your new hires are deciding whether your business is a good fit – don’t overwhelm or set them up for failure. Instead, immerse them in learning about your products, brand and process so they have the knowledge and tools to really succeed in your company. 

One of the top reasons that employees leave their job is a lack of growth opportunities within your business (or better opportunities outside of it). While it’s important to have your eyes open for new talent, you don’t want to forget about the talent you already have. 

Whenever possible, try to nurture employees to grow into a new position within the company. Not only will opportunities for upward movement make you look more enticing to prospects, but it will also show your employees that you care about their individual success. Not to mention, internal hires already have an excellent grasp of your processes and corporate culture, which means they’ll be more likely to succeed in the new role. 

For more information on how to boost morale and job satisfaction at your workplace, contact us today. We offer a complete selection of team based experiences, motivational events and more, both on-site and off-site programs for groups of all sizes.