How to Improve Employee Morale and Job Satisfaction

What is Employee Morale?

The term employee morale describes the attitudes and emotions of employees within their work environment. Employee morale includes many concepts like job satisfaction and employee engagement in the workplace.

Similar to employee motivation, employee morale cannot be bought but instead must be developed and maintained. Small business owners or human resource professionals in larger companies should strive to constantly improve employee morale levels.

A high morale employee is one who has high levels of employee satisfaction and employee engagement. As a result, employee performance increases. In contrast, a low morale employee is a result of when employee morale job satisfaction levels are weak and their overall involvement in the company is very low.

Employee morale improvements can result in benefits such as-

• Higher employee engagement levels
• Increased employee satisfaction
• Ideal employee performance
• Better work-life balance
• Top talent employee retention
• Bottom line best practice
• More seamless performance management
• Help keep positive company culture
• Increased professional development
• Team building work environment
• Team member decision-making skills
• Less human resource department issues
• Enhanced customer service experience

Top Ways to Improve Employee Morale and Job Satisfaction

When human resource departments actively look for a way to improve employee morale they will increase both the company culture and bottom line profitability. Although there is a common misconception that employee morale is the responsibility and product of individual employee efforts, leadership must recognize how much of employee experience that they have control over.

Actively looking for ways to improve work life balance and employee recognition are both essential to employee morale improvement. However, there are many more ways that human resource professionals and small business owners can improve employee morale including-

1. Employee recognition increases- Aim to make every employee feel valued and appreciated through unique employee recognition techniques. Financially reward employee hard work whenever possible and take time to individually thank high morale employees to keep employee morale high and maintain a company culture of positivity.

2. Remote work provisions- If you are not already offering employees remote work consider doing so. Not only will remote work benefit work life balance but it also helps keep morale high and employee retention rates up.

Do not focus on unproductive performance management techniques such as micromanaging. Remote work through work home offices will increase high morale employees and provide every employee job satisfaction.

3. Work environment improvements- Cultivate a high employee moralecompany culture through work environment changes. Get creative, consider team building exercises to increase job satisfaction like Happy Hour outside of working hours or other social opportunities.

Whether you decide to incentivize solely based on individual efforts or add team building incentives, remember that the more actionable an incentive is the more likely your objective will be met. Examples of team building incentives include company-sponsored team member vacations or cash rewards for every team member per milestone met.

4. Invest in employees- The best way to increase employee morale is a combination of financial rewards and work life balance efforts. A business that makes sure to financially reward employee efforts is a great start.

Human resource departments should look for professional development and performance management opportunities. High morale employees will be attracted to an employee job opening that offers them career advancements and exceptional professional development modules.

Make sure that your training and professional development programs align with both individual employee career goals and your bottom line objectives. These opportunities may include within organization hands-on customer service experiences or outsourced professional development orientations.

5. Request frequent employee feedback- One way to properly assess employee wants is to regularly administer an employee survey asking where your human resource department can take time to improve. Including employees in decision making and making each employee happy is well worth bottom line profitability.

Low morale employees are a detriment to your bottom line profits and sacrifice company culture improvements. When you both individually invest in professional development and team building incentives you are directly investing in bottom-line best practice development for your company.