It’s no secret that businesses are experiencing a dip in company morale, particularly at this time of the year. We’ve been living through a pandemic, various lockdown restrictions and a year-end fatigue that feels like no other. So, as a leader, let’s look at ways you can work at boosting your team’s morale.
Setting clear rules of engagement
With the coming of a 4th Covid wave, some companies will go back to working remotely. In preparation for that, it’s important to set clear, realistic rules and expectations so that you and your team are on the same page. As a leader, you must walk the fine line between expecting your team to always be available and understanding that your employees have other responsibilities when they’re home. To avoid creating any frustration, set clear deadlines so that your staff can manage their time efficiently. Respecting your staff’s time will go a long way in building trust and creating the type of environment where they feel valued.
Celebrate your team’s wins – no matter how small
These past two years have been taxing on your business and your staff. So, celebrating every win is a great boost to your team’s morale. Not only will you be acknowledging an employee for their hard work, but you’ll also be inspiring others to work so that they too, can be celebrated. This has another benefit because when you celebrate your staff, they’re less likely to obsess over any mistakes they may have made and rather, ensure that the quality of work is worth the acknowledgement they want to receive.
Ask your team what they need
The best way to personalise this experience is to simply ask your team. You’re managing different personalities with varying views on what they need from you as their leader. Talk to them, ask different questions and after collecting as much information as you can, see which common threads exist and use those to guide you on how to boost team morale. You may find that a majority of people want fewer meetings throughout their workday, instead of a virtual hangout after working hours.
Improve employee mental wellbeing initiatives
If anything, the pandemic has put the spotlight on how important healthcare is and mental wellbeing shouldn’t be excluded from that. Not every company can offer on-call therapists, so instead, you can share videos, podcasts or apps that spread awareness about mental wellbeing issues like anxiety, stress management, burnout, and depression. By sharing this kind of information with your team, hopefully this will help remove the stigma that surrounds mental health issues so that others can seek help if they’re experiencing any symptoms.
Identify and speak with those “morale busters
If your team is large, you might find that you have a few “morale busters” who seem to have a negative outlook on everything and no solution. As tempting as it might be to reprimand them publicly, rather talk to them privately as they may be going through a difficult period and aren’t aware of how their behaviour is affecting the team.
The bottom line
It’s important for leaders to foster the type of positive environment where staff feel valued and empowered. Actively working at boosting your team’s morale will create an environment where your team flourishes.
