Staff morale often takes a big hit in the New Year. Let’s be fair, moods away from work usually take a bit of a nose dive. After the fun and excitement of the holidays, many of us spend the first few months of the year in a bit of a funk. We’ve spent too much money, we’ve neglected things that we now need to catch up on, and returning to everyday life is a little depressing after the holidays. It’s really no surprise that your returning staff don’t always enjoy their work in those early parts of the year.
But, if you want your business to grow and succeed, and you want to keep staff turnover to a minimum and build a reputation as a fantastic employer, it’s essential that you find ways to boost staff morale, and get them loving work again. Let’s take a look at a few easy ways to do just that.
Schedule Staff Reviews
It’s a great idea to sit down with each member of your team for a proper review or appraisal every few months. It’s a brilliant chance to catch up one on one. To make sure you are both on the right track, that they are getting everything that they need from you, that they are working well, meeting expectations and that their training is up to date. But, in reality, most of us only sit down with our staff when something is going wrong.
Schedule appraisals or reviews as soon as you can. This gives you a chance to deal with any issues, boost their confidence and set them goals for the future. Giving them focus and drive going forwards.
Reward Their Hard Work
When we only ever sit down with our staff when something is wrong, we’re encouraging a negative atmosphere. When we only take the time to speak with them when things aren’t going well, and we don’t take the time to reward their efforts and hard work, we’re sending out the wrong message. We should be noticing the good as well as the bad.
Start making an effort to reward their hard work every day. Sometimes, this will be with more significant gestures like bonuses, corporate cupcakes and other gifts, time off or staff days out. Other times, a simple thank you at the end of the day, a well done after something great or an extra 10-minute tea break can mean the world.
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Set a Good Example
If you are sat up in your office with the door closed and a frown on your face, you are setting the tone for everyone else. If you are grumpy, moody and unhappy at work, staff morale will follow suit. Your team look to you for guidance, so it’s crucial that you leave your own funk at home. That you go into your office with a smile on your face. That you say hi to everyone. That you work happily and that you welcome everyone who wants to speak with you. You’ll be amazed at what a difference changing your own outlook has on your staff morale.
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