Employee Morale Down? Here are 5 Effective Ways to Change That 

Jobs are never easy. There are days we love what we do, and days we don’t. That’s normal. But, if the days an employee doesn’t love their job are more than the days they do, then the company and the employee have an issue. It’s vital to keep employee morale high, especially in the current climate where there is still a lot of uncertainty. 

Employee morale is a complex thing. It is made up of the motivation, attitude, job satisfaction, confidence and happiness an employee feels towards his/her job. If even one of those things is down, there is a sudden and lasting impact on the employee, and teams at large. That can be low productivity, high absenteeism, or other factors that can negatively impact teams.  

Having a high employee morale and good company culture matters. The biggest advantage of this is improved productivity. The happier your team, the more effort they will be willing to put in. You will see the results, financially and otherwise. Another great advantage of high employee morale is your company’s image in the public. Employees are likely to recommend your business to others, attracting new employees.  

Now you know, the next step is to identify the factors that impact employee morale. That way, you can work on addressing them. 

What Impacts Employee Morale? 

There are a lot of factors that impact employee morale at a company. For simplicity, we have divided them into positive and negative factors.  

Positive Factors: 

• A clear view of the vision and mission of the company. Employees who are aligned with the company are more likely to be motivated to show up and do their job, knowing that they are part of something greater.  
• Goal setting that allows employees to grow and aim for bigger things. There’s a fine line between ambition and impossible, but if achievable goals are set then employees are likely to approach their job with more confidence and willingness.  
• Employee morale is high at companies that have open communication channels. That’s because transparent companies are seen to valuing employees more, which in turn leads employees to value the company. 
• Having a good team and company culture is of utmost importance. If employees don’t get on well with their team, they are likely to be less motivated to do their job.  

 Negative Factors: 

• Poor employee healthcare and lack of access to healthcare benefits can force employees to worry more about their health and finances than the company. Healthy employees are the ones with the best morale, but that is a fact many employers tend to ignore. 
• Unhealthy competition in the workplace, or poor professional relationships can have a huge impact on employee morale. Employers should avoid competition and understand that each employee has their own value. Comparison and competition does more harm than good.  
• Unnecessarily long working hours lead to greater burnout and poor employee morale. Today, it is very common for employees to work 10-12 hours daily, often late into the night. Employers may be achieving their goals in the short term, but at the cost of their employees’ health which has severe long-term effects. 

Improving Employee Morale 

Whether you are a startup, SME or a large corporation you will see both the positive and negative factors impact your company.  While some amount of low morale is acceptable, it is vital you keep talking to your team to ensure that it is balanced out. If you find employees are stressed, burnt out or just demotivated for long periods, you need to do a reality check. 

Even if 10% of your workforce are feeling negative towards the company, it’s a warning sign. The first step to improving employee morale is to accept you have an issue. After that, here are some steps you can take to improve employee morale –  

• Work-Life Balance: Ensure your employees are logging out at a reasonable hour and have time to switch off. Do not contact them after hours unless it is an absolute emergency. A healthy work-life balance is vital to sustain morale and motivation.  
• Communication: Ensure your HR or Chief Wellness Officer always has an open line to employees. Encourage one-to-one sessions with team leads and manager to sort out any issues at the earliest. Most importantly, ensure employees are heard and act on their feedback. 
• Team Building: Take time off from your workday to engage in team building activities. Building a stronger team spirit will sustain employee morale and build a sense of trust. Your employees need to see their team as colleagues and friends, not just coworkers. 
• Managers Turn into Coaches: Train your managers to become coaches, guiding employees and helping them grow professionally and personally. That way, employees will feel like they are cared for, and will be more likely to approach the job with a positive attitude.  
• Access to Employee Healthcare Benefits: We’ve said it before, healthy employees are the ones with the best morale. Give your team access to comprehensive employee healthcare plans and wellness membership plans. Put their health first, and they will put the company first.  

As a startup or an SME, why not provide affordable employee healthcare with Onsurity?  Not only do you save up to 50% on your healthcare costs, but you also build a healthier and happier workforce. Onsurity’s healthcare membership is the ideal way to boost employee morale, and create a company for the future.

Click on the button below.