Lackluster Employees? How to Boost and Maintain Employee Morale

Pay for a Gym Membership – Offer a program which pays for gym memberships for employees to encourage a fit and healthy lifestyle. Some companies are even paying for employees to take yoga, pilates, or a class of their choice doing their lunch hour.

Allow Flexible Schedules – If possible, give employees the opportunity to choose their schedule. In an effort to reduce energy, many state departments and companies are allowing employees to work 4-day weeks (10 hour a weeks). Or let employees come in an hour early and leave an hour early.

360 Feedback Surveys – Studies have shown that there are a myriad of benefits to conducting 360 feedback surveys within an organization. They not only encourage open communication between employees and managers, but

Incentives – Offer incentive for deadlines met, projects finished, or quotas filled. These may include extra vacation days, monetary bonuses, or gifts such as MP3 players or gift certificates.

Food – Something as simple as buying lunch once a week for employees can boost morale and demonstrate your appreciation and gratitude for employees.

Cool Break Room – Provide a suitable, enjoyable break room where employees can really relax and take a break from work. They will be more efficient and productive throughout their day if they are allotted adequate breaks – bonus if they have a place to relax! Some of the best break rooms provided by a corporation have ping pong tables, fuse ball, television and movies, even gaming systems such as the Wii.

Verbal Praise - Frequently praising and commending employees on efforts and jobs well done can really do wonders when it comes to employee morale. Simply knowing that they have personally attributed to the overall success of the company can increase their drive and confidence.

Pay Raises – This may be one of the oldest tricks in the book but it is certainly one of the most effective. Giving employees pay raises when appropriate will increase morale, productivity, and efficiency.