How can i boost morale at work

Email not only drags on employees' productivity, it wears on well-being by increasing stress and requiring high levels of reactivity. In fact, 92 percent of employees experience a spike in blood pressure and heart rate after reading an email in the office.

Instead of utilizing email for all communication, integrate software like Trello, Asana, and Slack to lessen or completely negate its impact. Executive coach Rodger Dean Duncan describes jerks as those who "intimidate, condescend, or demean, swear, behave rudely, belittle people in front of others, give only negative feedback, lie, act sexist or racist, withhold critical information, blow up in meetings, refuse to accept blame or accountability, gossip, and spread rumors, use fear as a motivator, etc.

What's the easiest way to boost morale? Let go of the jerks -- weeding out this kind of behavior among upper management can have an even greater impact on employee morale than raises or promotions.

A posture of openness gives employees permission to contribute to positive change. Google, for example, uses a survey called Googleist to elicit feedback from employees on a wide swath of issues. It then recruits volunteer groups to tackle issues and solve the company's biggest problems.

Brainstorm ways to incorporate regular feedback into the life of your office. Forty percent of millennials expect promotions every one to two years. To maintain employee morale among a new generation of employees, you need to emphasize the viability of your promotional tracks. Be clear about opportunities to grow, not just during recruitment but on a regular basis.

Research suggests that only one in five people take lunch breaks and that white-collar workers are least likely to step away from their desks for a break. Those people have the greatest leverage to model morale-boosting habits. Just as employees are hesitant to step away from their desks for lunch, they often shy away from vacation time despite its potential to boost morale.

Some companies try to break the mold by offering unlimited vacation days, but that's not necessarily a solution either.

As writer Lotte Bailyn argued, "Unlimited vacation time may sound wonderful in theory, but in reality, less is more.

Too much choice is restrictive and confusing. Individuals experience higher morale when employers appreciate them as people first and employees second. You can still recognize personal milestones and losses while respecting privacy -- even a simple note from you would do. Respond as you would to a friend, with kindness and consideration. Seeing as how 78 percent employees spend more time with co-workers than they do with family, a supportive community will go along way to fostering happiness.

Work anniversaries are relationship milestones between an employee and a company. There are times to be serious and there are times when it just makes more sense to relax, laugh, and connect with your team. Find ways to bring more of your true self to work and look for ways to get to know your teams on a more personal level.

When you bring more of your authentic self to the office, you become more relatable and approachable. When your employees feel supported and encouraged to do their best work, they can do so with confidence. Take these tips and take the right course of action to keep employee morale high—all year long. Image Credit: Shutterstock. Baili Bigham. Encourage ongoing one-on-ones One of the most powerful ways to improve employee morale is through frequent communication.

Give employees the tools to ask for feedback Traditionally, the process of feedback has been led by managers as a means to help employees course correct and grow. Train your managers to become better coaches Teaching your managers to seek out the unique talents of their employees will foster an environment that builds on those attributes, which also helps businesses remain agile during challenging times.

Help your people develop—both personally and professionally Setting your employees up for success in their role starts with giving them all the tools and resources they need to do their job well. Show employees how much you appreciate them Studies show that high performing teams are far more supportive and complimentary than low performing ones. Brainstorm ideas with your staff. Your employees are geniuses, so pick their brains.

Great leaders understand that they are not the only people capable of making good decisions or coming up with innovative ideas. And turn the right ones into reality. Plan fun non-work activities. Shrewd managers understand the importance of team-building exercises. You know your team better than anyone else does or at least you should , so plan exciting after-hours activities that your employees will look forward to. Make it fun. Embrace flexible working. It used to be that work was done between the hours of 9 a.

At the end of the day, does it really matter whether your staff comes in super exhausted every morning at 9 a. Letting your employees work at the most convenient times is a surefire way to boost morale. Feed your employees good food.

We all need to eat, and good food costs money. A simple solution: buy your employees meals as often as you can. Let your employees nap. According to a study in ScienceDirect , naps do more to jump-start people than caffeine does.

So instead of encouraging your employees to chug coffee all day long, let them take naps during the day. Your newly refreshed employees will thank you.