Little Known Ways To Increase Morale On Your Team

If your team is in a slump, it can be frustrating as a leader to try and get them to remain productive. You might be tempted to blame them for their lack of motivation, especially if it leads to a loss. However, more often than not, leaders can end up being just as responsible for the factors that cause a loss of motivation. Rather than passing the blame, a good leader asks how they can help their team to improve. If you’re in that position as a team leader right now, HJR Global has compiled a list of ways that you can increase morale among your employees and get that productivity back in line. A few of these techniques might totally surprise you!

Challenge Your Team With Meaningful Tasks

Employees that feel like they aren’t being challenged at work are more likely to lose motivation and look for opportunity elsewhere. Often times this comes down to the work at hand for many people. If they feel unchallenged or underutilized, employees have no stake in the continued productivity and get burnt out quickly. A way to increase morale is to delegate meaningful tasks to employees that can handle them and make sure that everyone has a hand in the success you want to achieve.

Give Your Team A Ladder Up

Look at any list that tries to collate the reasons why employees leave and one of the most common reasons is that people feel undervalued or don’t want to stay where they don’t see any mobility. Even employees that have retained the same position for 15 years or more don’t want to feel like they are stuck. Increase morale on your team by offering them clear, well designed tracks for mobility and growth. This doesn’t mean that every employee has to have an employment tract that leads to an executive office, but they should know that where they start on day one is not where they have to be five years from now. If you want to help your team meet their long term goals that ultimately make your business stronger, you have to provide them with a ladder to climb to get there.

Let Your Team Find The Company Outing

Company outings might seem like a waste of money to employers but they’re actually vital to the process that keeps your company healthy in the same way that getting out of the house is healthy for us as individuals. One of the big issues we see at HJR Global is that certain leaders don’t see the investment potential in an outing and so they phone it in. The problem with doing that is that whatever they chose as an outing is likely not something that’s going to increase morale because it won’t be memorable or have a lasting impact on employees. Instead, leaders should let the employees have an opportunity to vote or have a say in what you do as an outing, so it feels more rewarding to your team.

Offer “Fringe” Benefits

Not every company is large enough to offer the executive insurance package or the highest match to a person’s 401(k) and some business owners get defensive when benefits discussions happen, preferring to look at benefits from a two dimensional, traditional standpoint that they just can’t afford. Yet, more companies are embracing what are called “fringe” benefits to improve morale and the quality of life among their employees and it has remarkable results. Offering things like a monthly in-house massage, catered meals during long meetings or even contracting a local food truck to stop by once a month can feel like a huge benefit to your team and these things can be relatively inexpensive.

Create A Welcoming Environment

Another huge reason why people will leave a job, even one that they love, is because they feel that their opinions, thoughts, ideas and input are going to be ignored, while their mistakes are going to be underscored. It’s a leader’s job to ensure that their employees feel a sense of psychological safety when they come to work and that they are working on a team the provides shelter. A team with heavy conflict and a lack of respect is likely to be less effective because they don’t have reason to collaborate and they will likely make more mistakes. You can increase morale by making sure the environment you act as the leader of is one you would want to work in as well.

Treat Your Team Like They’re Human

Sounds pretty silly, right, but you would be surprised how many people only see numbers instead of faces. Your team will feel more connected if what matters to them also matters to you. Do you take the time to celebrate their birthday, congratulate them on an anniversary or send around a card when they experience loss? You can increase morale simply by paying attention, listening and knowing what kind of impact your actions have on the people. This is why you are a leader after all.

If you struggle with any of these aspects as a leader, that doesn’t mean that you’re a bad leader or that you can’t be redeemed. At HJR Global, we specialize in helping people to become better leaders and better individuals by practicing emotional intelligence. If you are unfamiliar with the emotional intelligence paradigm, check out this special offer from Harrison Rogers and HJR Global: