Tips for improving employee morale

One of the most important tasks for any business owner is keeping their employees happy. Savvy business owners understand that their workforce is their most valuable asset. When your employees are happy and feel satisfied with their jobs they are far more likely to stay with you for the long term. It is important to keep in mind that the cost of recruiting, hiring, and training can be prohibitive and should be avoided if all possible. If you focus on providing the items for your employees that will boost their morale you can in large part avoid this cost. In addition, happy employees tend to be more productive employees which only contribute to your business in a positive way.Here are some tips for improving employee morale-

- Be a leader not the boss-If your style of leadership is to run around screaming at people you will soon find that your best employees will quickly be leaving your business. You need to focus on being a leader and gaining the respect and trust of your employees. Once your employees see your productive leadership style they are far more likely to want to continue to work for you. This in turn will lead to higher employee morale and long term productivity for your business.
- Be respectful of your employees-You can easily improve employee morale within your business by showing the people who work for you that you respect them. Listening carefully to your employees' opinions and ideas will show them that you take them seriously. Even if you don't end up using their input they will still feel valued and appreciated which improves employee's morale. In addition, once you show your employees this type of respect they are far more likely to come to you with valuable insight that can be beneficial for your business.
- Be a communicator with your employees-Often times employees are not even aware that there is a workplace problem until it's to late. If you are the type of boss that only vents your frustration over problems, you will soon end up with a workforce full of employees with low morale and job satisfaction. If you take the time to really communicate with your employees and get to the root of any problems then you will find that your employees will feel needed which increases their morale and job satisfaction.
- Be generous with your recognition and praise-Many employers mistakenly believe that just because they can't offer expensive bonuses then it really doesn't matter if they reward their employees. This is very untrue. Your employees will appreciate any type of recognition and praise not matter how small if it is genuine. In addition, you should not think that incentives need to cost a lot of money. By setting goals with your employees you can not only improve teamwork and productivity but morale, as well. Then when the goal has been met consider offering a free lunch, an extended lunch break or letting everyone go home an hour early on Friday. Whatever incentive you offer remember that is only needs to be something of value to your employees in order to have a positive effect on morale.
- Be the example of hard work for your employees-One of the most damaging effects on employee morale comes from a manager or boss who thinks they are above the rules. If you routinely show up late, leave early, and take 2 hour lunches should not expect your employees to have very high morale. Setting the example of hard work shows your employees that you are not asking them to do anything you wouldn't do yourself. They will respect, work harder for you, and have higher morale and job satisfaction.