Having great morale in the workplace can be a huge benefit to any business, especially to small businesses whose success often depends on staying agile enough to take advantage of every single opportunity that comes their way. However, it's not always easy to build morale within your organization. It takes hard work, dedication, and communication — but the rewards can make it all worthwhile! In this blog post, we'll look at several tips by Jay Holstine on how you can build strong morale in your small business that will help create a productive atmosphere where everyone feels motivated and engaged with what they are doing.
Jay Holstine’s Tips To Build Morale In Your Small Business
1. Recognition and Praise: Showing recognition and praise for employees is key to building morale, says Jay Holstine. This can be done through emails, verbal recognition during team meetings, or taking an employee out for lunch as a reward for their hard work. Celebrate successes with the whole team and give individuals shout-outs when deserved. Showing appreciation boosts morale in the office, helps retain employees, and encourages them to do their best work each day.
2. Get Feedback from Employees: Asking employees what they think about different initiatives or improvements that could be implemented in the office allows them to feel heard, valued, and respected by management. Regularly asking your staff how they're doing goes a long way in showing them they matter to the company and can help build a trusting relationship between the team and management. Asking for feedback also provides an opportunity to learn how your staff feels about current processes in order to make improvements where needed.
3. Provide Opportunities for Learning: Offering employees opportunities to learn new skills or hone their existing ones is essential for building morale within a small business. You could enlist outside trainers or experts to come in and lead workshops, provide online learning resources, send employees to conferences, or even offer lunch-and-learn sessions with colleagues on a variety of topics related to the company’s industry. Providing these kinds of learning opportunities helps boost employee engagement while improving productivity, which ultimately benefits your business as a whole.
4. Celebrate Team Accomplishments: Hosting gatherings outside of the office, like team-building events or holiday parties, is a great way to build morale and show employees that their work is appreciated. It also helps create a sense of camaraderie amongst team members and allows them to connect on a more personal level. Celebrating accomplishments and successes with your staff can help to energize them and increase motivation levels in the workplace.
5. Promote Work/Life Balance & Wellness: According to Jay Holstine, ensuring that you're providing an environment where employees feel comfortable taking time off for illness or vacations is important in building morale. Strive for a good work/life balance by allowing flexible hours and remote working-from-home options when needed. Additionally, promoting team wellness activities such as yoga classes or running clubs can help employees to stay fit and manage their stress levels. These kinds of initiatives demonstrate that you care about your staff's well-being and show them that the business values them. Read More