Keeping morale in your company high is critical to operating a successful small business. Whether you are operating a healthcare facility or a boutique shop, the energy of your employees will dictate a lot about how well your business runs. When your team is not motivated and excited about their day-to-day tasks, it can take a toll on your company as a whole.

If you are looking to boost morale around the office or workplace, check out these must-know tips.

#1: Get To The Root Of The Problem

If you have noticed a serious drop in the morale around your company, the first thing you should do is try to determine the “why”. Getting to the root of the issue will allow you to better adapt to what is needed. Not all morale slumps are because of the same problem. There are numerous factors that determine the overall happiness of your team.

A few key questions to ask as you look for the reason behind morale loss include the following:

  • Is it an issue related to my leadership? (aka am I motivating my employees well?)
  • Is there a toxic employee(s) creating drama or poisoning the team’s mentality?
  • Are people overworked or stressed?
  • Are employees rewarded for high performance?
  • Are employees invested in the company mission and vision?

Start with these questions to start digging into what might be causing your company’s morale to hit a low. Once you have a better understanding of why things are not where you want them, there is a better chance of improving morale. If you are stumped and cannot determine what is damaging morale, take the time to sit down with managers and leaders in your company to see if they have any good information on what is going on with your teams.

#2: Make Sure Your Employees Are Being Challenged

While stress can be a negative factor when it comes in abundance, being challenged is an important part of fulfilling work. If your employees go about their day-to-day life without any significant challenges, they can start to feel stuck in a mundane rut. Challenges should help your employees grow and lead to a deeper sense of fulfillment at your company. Make sure that if you have hired outstanding talent, you let them shine and allow for them to put their knowledge to use. When an employee is stuck doing the same task over and over without any significant change or room for growth, it can wear on their morale.

#3: Allow For Plenty Of Time Away

While you need your employees in the office or workplace in order for work to be done, you will find that morale plummets when your staff has no time away. Make sure that people are maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Long hours and working over would-be weekends can lead to a fast burnout rate and lowered productivity.

Beyond just ensuring that everyone has enough time away from the office each day, make sure you also have excellent PTO policies. Everyone needs a break or a vacation to look forward to, no matter what role they play in your company. When you don’t allow for this, you can wind up with unhappy employees that struggle to perform.

#4: Spend Time Celebrating Wins

How good is your company at celebrations? Do you spend time having fun and rewarding your team when goals are met? Make sure that you celebrate wins in your company to create an environment where hard work is noticed and rewarded. Nothing is worse for team morale than hitting a goal, only to get very little recognition for doing so.

Celebrating wins can be as simple as bringing lunch in for the whole team. It could be leaving the workplace as a team to go do something fun. Try to match your celebrations to the accomplishments. When a win is a big deal, make the celebration equally impressive. This motivates your team to work through the hard times to achieve success.

#5: Make Room For The Pursuit Of Passions

How often do your employees get to pursue the things that they are most passionate about? From allowing for time on the clock to volunteer at a local non-profit to special side projects at work that tap into creativity, make sure that your employees have a chance to do the things that make them tick. When your employees are allowed to pour their heart into the things they most care about, it can boost the morale of your team as a whole. Spend time trying to get to know who your employees are and the passions that they have. Look for ways to incorporate that into their job as well as ways they can have more time free for pursuing those tasks.

#6: Point Out A Greater Purpose

Why do your employees show up to work every day? Do they see a greater purpose in the work you are doing? When your team’s morale is low, it might be because they don’t believe in the work they are doing. Look for ways to demonstrate the value of the work you all do and be sure everyone feels that way.

#7: Find Adequate Funding

Finally, when your business doesn’t have the money it needs to operate smoothly, morale will be low. Ensure you are properly funded so that your team isn’t affected by a lack of cash flow. If you are looking for a unique funding solution for your small business, we invite you to reach out to our team at the Commercial Finance Group. We can provide you with the working capital you need to ensure your team is set up for success. We utilize options such as invoice factoring to help companies who are not eligible for traditional small business loans. If you are interested in learning more, reach out to our team today. We look forward to helping you keep your team happy and motivated to succeed.