Workplace Morale
00:00 Red power once said, Happy employees are loyal employees, and loyal employees can do amazing things. And William Craig said, you don't necessarily have to know every employee's favorite pizza topping, but it's vital to recognize their needs from a human perspective.
00:19 And, it's true. Your organization's success won't last long. If your team members' spirits are low. This is why it's absolutely critical.
00:29 that you know how to boost and maintain workplace morale, but doing so is easier set than done. How exactly can an organization increase the happiness and satisfaction of its workers?
00:43 And how can we ensure enough attention is paid to workplace morale without jeopardizing the financial performance of the business? In this course, we're going to show you how to do exactly that.
01:41 Seventy percent of US workers are not engaged in work. Seventy-five percent of the people that voluntarily leave their jobs quit, not because of the job itself, but because of their bosses.
01:58 Sixty-nine percent of employees say they'd work harder if they were better appreciated. These statistics show that workplace morale is an increasingly important area that businesses should focus on.
02:15 Our course is going to consist of a series of critical discussion points. These are designed to cover this broad topic as thoroughly as possible, to encourage growth in these vital areas, and to facilitate a real and fruitful discussion within your organization about how you can each improve on this
02:33 essential characteristic, both at work, and in your personal lives in general. Some of these will be pretty lengthy, and some will be relatively straightforward and brief.
02:44 At the end of this roadmap comes the most important final step. Discussion time. Do not skip this. This is the most important part of this training.
02:58 When you finished this course, you need to spend at least an hour or so going over the questions we supply at the end as a group.
03:07 Whoever's the head honcho in the group should designate a facilitator whose responsibility it is that each question is covered and that everyone time permitting is able to have their say.
03:19 Make sure all contributions are valued, all suggestions considered, and all opinions respected. So let's move into the first discussion point.
03:32 Train your managers. Managers have the biggest effect on the level of morale in the workplace. A good manager contributes to a major retention factor for the modern-day employee.
03:45 Therefore, training managers is paramount. According to Tiny Pulse, a leading employee engagement platform, research shows that employees These are four times more likely to look for another job when managed poorly.
04:00 This just goes to show how big of a matter is employment management. How can you train managers? Here are a few tips.
04:10 Educate the importance of their role. Offer leadership training programs. Enroll them in coaching workshops and courses. Encourage transparency and help leverage technology.
04:28 Communicate by listening. Communication is the key. Regularly interacting with your employees is a way of showing them that you are transparent and that you have a deep concern for their well-being.
04:42 Having a better understanding of your employees' perspective will help you identify what needs to get done to reinvigorate their morale.
04:50 One way to assess their inner feelings is by having employee reviews at least twice a year. This kind of survey helps you to determine how an employee might feel about his job and in the workplace.
05:03 It also gauges the level of satisfaction they have working with your company. You might be surprised to know what they have to say.
05:13 Use employee reviews as an opportunity for you to focus on the crux of the issue and how to resolve it immediately.
05:20 Another way to engage with your employees is by having regular team meetings. Compared to other meetings, this type of meeting highlights a sole topic, improvement.
05:32 As a manager, your job is to talk to your employees about what works and what doesn't work at your workplace.
05:39 Let them say their thoughts allowed and try to address every one of them. Besides team meetings, regular one-to-one conversations with your team members is an effective way to determine how they feel about the type and amount of work they are being asked to manage.
05:56 Do they feel overwhelmed with the amount of workload? Do they feel that their assignments are somewhat irrelevant to their skills?
06:04 When you identify their needs and the projects that might appeal to the most, you can then make adjustments. For some managers, they make it a habit to open their doors at all times.
06:17 This is so that if employees have any problems and concerns, they can come in and talk to them any time.
06:24 When you make yourself transparent in the workplace, you let your employees feel that they can rely on you, and that you're willing to address their concerns and take action.
06:36 Give employees recognition When you work in a fast-paced work environment with high levels of stress, it's easy for us to forget to thank our hard-working employees.
06:49 However, don't let this prevent you from expressing heartfelt gratitude. Give employees what they truly deserve. Praise studies. In fact, studies show that employees perform better when they receive recognition for their work.
07:04 A simple reason is that people naturally want to feel appreciated. Sadly, when employees feel their work doesn't matter, or that their efforts are unappreciated, it decreases their morale and lowers the level of effort they put into your company.
07:21 Much much worse, you might end up losing one of your top workers. Don't ever let your team feel that way.
07:29 Take time to sit down and tell them how much their work means to the company, and most importantly, let them know that you highly value the work they put in.
07:39 However, given commendations doesn't have to be flowery and exaggerated. A short, sincere, and specific compliment is enough to boost a worker's confidence and self-esteem.
07:50 When you regularly give out employee recognition, you will boost employee productivity, raise profitability, retain top workers, improve employee loyalty, create a collaborative work environment, increase employee motivation, and build positive engagement.
08:14 Reward employees for their hard work. Words are the simplest form of expressing gratitude. However, another form of positive reinforcement comes in the form of giving rewards.
08:28 Giving them something out of appreciation is a guaranteed way to motivate them to keep working hard. Remember, rewards don't always need to be lavish.
08:37 You can always give out incentives for your hardworking employees, even in the smallest ways. Don't have any ideas? Here are some suggestions.
08:49 Spot Awards Every time you see employees do something right, give them a small gift card on the spot. These can be anything from discount websites like Living Social, Groupon, Restaurant.com or warehouse discounts like Costco.
09:05 You can also give out tickets to local sporting or performing art events. Coffee Memberships Every employee is either a coffee, tea, or juice person.
09:18 Brighton their mornings by giving out local cafe memberships. This means that they can pay a discounted set price, usually for a month of unlimited beverages.
09:30 Cover a major expense. When an employee's hard work reaches a significant achievement that resulted in huge savings or brought in additional revenue to the company, you can reward them by paying out a major expense of that individual.
09:45 This might be a mortgage payment, car payment, or even a home appliance. Charitable donations. Your employees may have a charity that they regularly support.
09:57 Find out what their favorite charity is, and donate to it as an accolade of their hard work. Premium Music subscription.
10:07 Everybody has a preferred work playlist, so if you want them to groove along to their jam every day, reward them with a premium account to their music streaming service of choice.
10:19 Plants. According to the US News and World Report, experts found out that having office plants created a better work environment.
10:28 Why? The research continues. One possible explanation is that greenery increases engagement by making people more physically, cognitively, and emotionally involved in their jobs.
10:42 Why not reward easy-care plants like succulents and cacti for every job well done? Books You may have a few bookworms on your team.
10:53 You can give them a monthly subscription to online book services like Book of the Month, where they can choose five hard-cover books as their monthly reads.
11:04 Conferences, courses and seminars. Another way to give out rewards is by helping them to learn something new. You can sponsor them to attend classes and courses to increase personal development.
11:19 Motivate by helping them see their purpose. The bigger your company becomes, the less clear it is how someone's work matters.
11:28 Like recognition, a lack of purpose can lead them to think that they are just a worthless cog in the workplace.
11:34 As managers, you want them to avoid these negative thoughts by motivating them to create a sense of pride in their work.
11:43 Unfortunately, a lot of companies believe that money is the prime motivator for getting the best out of workers. However, research shows that this isn't always the case.
11:54 In a popular TED Talk entitled The Puzzle of Motivation, New York Times' best-selling author Dan Pink emphasized that when it comes to motivation, you need to focus on three things, autonomy, motivation and purpose.
12:12 Pink defined purpose as the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves. To help employees see their purpose, you need to remind them about the company's vision.
12:24 When your people understand why their work matters and how their efforts contribute to the growth of the business, they'll be more inspired and engaged.
12:34 Having a clear understanding of their purpose drives them to showcase excellence in everything they do. Work with their schedules Ideally, you want your employees to be present at all times, while working on their normal full-time eight to five jobs.
12:54 However, this might not always be the case. Some companies found out that employees tend to have lower morale for not being granted their personal schedules.
13:04 Having that said, some business the owners made it a point to work with their employee's schedules. After all, their life doesn't just revolve around your business.
13:15 They have families, friends, personal interests, and obligations of their own, just like everyone else. For example, you may have an employee who is a single parent and needs to drop off for kids from school before going to work.
13:31 Or you may have a worker who cares for a sick parent, and that limits him from leaving the house to go to work.
13:38 What can you do as the owner? Understand each situation carefully. Ask yourself, how can I address their needs? Exercising reasonableness in the workplace is a way of telling your employees that you care for them and that you're in on this together.
13:56 One way to comply with their personal matters is by giving workers the freedom to work remotely. Working remote doesn't necessarily take away the professionalism compared to being at the actual workplace.
14:09 In fact, working remotely is just the same as working on-site, for they'll still be present in meetings providing daily reports and most importantly doing the same amount of work as other employees.
14:22 The sole difference is just that they work at the comforts of their own home, so they can easily attend personal obligations.
14:30 Another way of helping out is by giving them flexible work arrangements. This provision allows your employees to adjust their work times, even their locations.
14:41 Flexible work arrangements are, in a way, letting your employees create their work schedule around their life. There are several types of flexible work arrangements, such as video conferencing.
14:55 This option allows your employees to work from anywhere through the Internet. With only a computer and a video conferencing software, employees can easily connect with you and their teammates.
15:09 Video conferencing gives them the freedom to work from home or while traveling. Alternating locations Nobody wants to feel confined to a single work location.
15:21 Taking turns and locations helps them to unwind and to fuel a change for once in a while. For instance, they can work on site from Monday through Thursday and then let them work from home on Fridays.
15:35 Compressed Work Week This gives employees the option to shorten their work week by working more hours on other days so they can have more time off.
15:45 For example, some would work four ten-hour days and then taking three days off. A compressed work week allows them to have more time to attend personal matters or to save more money on commuting.
15:59 Adjusted work hours This allows employees to alter their work hours on what suits them best. Like the example mentioned earlier, a parent might need to drop off his or her kids to school first.
16:14 For this reason, he or she might choose to start work maybe 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. instead of the usual 8 to 5.
16:22 The key here is that whether they come in early or late, they have to complete the regular 8 hour workday.
16:30 Part-time work. work. Some employees no matter how much they can be potential assets to the company may still not have the ability to commit on a full-time basis.
16:41 Giving the option of part-time work while still providing some or all work benefits can be beneficial for both parties. Part-time work helps employees to have more time for what matters most to them.
16:53 As for the company, you work confident that you can retain your top talent. job-sharing. Similar to part-time work, job-sharing is a way to lessen your hours in a work week by splitting tasks and duties with another employee, while sharing the same role.
17:11 This allows the employee to work a portion of the work week while the other gets to fill the other half.
17:17 This is also advantageous because it creates a built-in backup in case one won't be available for work. Fleximil time. This simply means that your employees can choose the time to eat, whatever works best for them.
17:34 Some employees may choose to use their fleximil times to attend appointments without having to file time off. For some, they would like to have a shorter break so they can leave early.
17:46 Note however, that the tips just mentioned will vary from one company to another. The only key point here is that when you provide flexibility to their schedules, you allow them to produce the best results while at the same time addressing their personal matters.
18:03 This gives them a more balanced view of life and work. Give them a break. At times you may find out that your workers look gloomy and oppressed, and there could be a number of reasons why.
18:22 Some employees feel that their work is just the same thing over and over again as if being stuck in an endless loop.
18:30 On the other hand, someone might be dealing with sickness, loss of a loved one, relationship problems, and other personal matters.
18:39 As for others, they just can't simply handle the pressure of their work, causing them to become stressed and burnt out.
18:47 If so, then this surely means they need to take a breather. A day off from work can help them reset and recalibrate.
18:56 When they return to work, they will feel more refreshed and invigorated, producing more desirable results. As a business owner, you should assure that your employees have the right to take vacations.
19:10 options. You can do this by applying a paid time-off policy, PTO. This policy simply means that an employee has the right to have time off from work while still getting paid.
19:23 PTOs include holidays, sick days, vacation, and personal matters, such as bereavement leaves, jury duty, and even military training. When you apply PTO to your business, you give your employees the freedom to take days off according to their discretion.
19:41 It also allows them to have some control of their schedule to attend personal matters. Sure enough, employees will value the flexibility that they gain through this policy.
19:53 This is because you give them the right to have a break, when they would need it the most. Gage management by task relative maturity.
20:07 In his book, High Output Management, Andy Grove, the co-founder of Intel, coined the term task relevant maturity, TRM, as a structure for delegating and managing employee performance.
20:21 appearance. He said a given managerial approach is not equally effective under all conditions. Grove pointed out that the management style should not be a one-size-fits-all concept.
20:34 Rather, the people-product managers' approach should vary with an individual's level of task relative maturity. According to Grove, there are three levels of task relative maturity.
20:47 low. When an employee has a low TRM, the management style should be more hands-on and almost prescriptive. Employees with low TRMs are usually those who are newly hired, or someone who just received the time-sensitive or demanding task for the first time.
21:06 If ignored, their lack of confidence and self-esteem can lead to poor results. Having a highly structured and task-oriented approach will surely be beneficial for them.
21:21 Media employees that have medium TRMs should receive the standard practice of management. The approach should be in the form of coaching rather than a hands-on method.
21:33 Instead of focusing on their tasks, the manager's goal is to assist the subordinate to complete their task on their own.
21:40 They do that by being individual-oriented, providing advice, support, and counsel. Manager employee communication is highly encouraged. Hi. Managing an employee with a high TRM should be kept to a minimum.
21:59 Instead of helping them achieve their goals, the manager should have a mutual agreement on what goal should be achieved. After objectives have been established, the manager should be hands off, allowing the employee to work autonomously.
22:14 To reach their maximum potential, managers should set exceptional standards for every goal. This challenges them to think bigger, aim higher, and work more aggressively.
22:27 Of course, an employee's TRM will vary over time. It's your job to regularly assess every one of your workers and identify what kind of TRM level should they be classified.
22:40 This allows you to provide the appropriate management needed for them to perform at their highest level. This in return will raise positive morale in the workplace.
22:55 Get rid of assholes. Let's face it. Who doesn't have a single asshole in the workplace? These menace-like workers are the ones who are resistant to their job and their teammates.
23:08 Having troublemakers like these can highly affect employee morale for they create a toxic workplace environment. If left untreated, they can slowly tear others, or even much worse, tear down the company.
23:22 Just how much of a threat can they be? Robert Sutton, PhD at Stanford, and best-selling author for his book, The No Asshole Rule mentioned some hard facts.
23:34 Employees suffer physically and mentally. An alarming rate of employees who quit their jobs turns out to have worked with an abusive supervisor.
23:44 Sadly, those who are still trapped from work suffered less life satisfaction and work productivity. Even worse, some have suffered physical and mental health problems.
23:57 Negative experiences remain. Having dreadful interactions tend to linger more than positive ones. Causes more turnover rate. One study in the UK showed that 25% of harassed workers and 20% of witnesses tend to quit their jobs.
24:15 We can conclude from these facts that having toxic employees at work is no laughing matter. Sutton described it best when he said, assholes breed like rabbits.
24:26 They're poisoned quickly in facts others, even worse. If you let them make hiring decisions, they will start cloning themselves. These words just go to show how important it is to take action and remove them immediately.
24:41 However, some companies are too afraid to let go of these jerks. The reason is that some of them are actually the top performers in the team.
24:50 Sadly, a lot of managers end up compromising their values just to keep them. Don't let this happen. If you have doubts about firing such ones, a research paper from Harvard Business School showed that you're better off parting with them.
25:06 Even the most talented assholes. cycles. Michael Houseman and Dylan Minor, the writers, had calculated the hidden cost of assholes. They said, in comparing the two costs, even if a firm could replace an average worker with one who performs in the top one percent, it still would be better off by replacing
25:26 a toxic worker with an average worker by more than two to one. The time is now. Find out who these b******* are and get rid of them fast.
25:36 Rest. Build momentum by continuing to keep away these toxic people from your company. If you do, you'll create a tranquil work environment.
25:47 So in summary, don't let any asshole ruin your workplace. Treat them with respect. Respect is fundamental for a healthy work environment.
26:00 Treating employees with dignity contributes to their well-being. When you respect employees, they become more alert, creative, and productive, thus resulting in a more positive workplace.
26:13 So when it comes to showing respect, always remember, treat others the way you want to be treated. You treat your employees with respect when you show courtesy, kindness, and politeness.
26:26 Avoid micromanaging. are not quick to judge, understand their limitations, listen to their opinions, are aware of your body language, tone of voice, and demeanor, treat them fairly and equally, practice empathy, and respect their culture and beliefs.
26:50 Remember their special days, try to remember their birthdays and other special events like anniversaries and even their children's birthdays. Of course, you can't commit them all to memory.
27:03 Try to assign someone to take note of all these important dates. A simple gift or a warm acknowledgement would suffice.
27:10 This, in turn, will increase positive morale, knowing that you put in the effort to remember their special day. Organize Team Outings Motivational Speaker and Life by Design Founder Ian Hutchinson define employee engagement as an investment we make for the privilege of staying in business.
27:32 So when morale seems low, your job is to bring back engagement and productivity ASAP. A sure fire way to do this is by giving your employees time to go outside of the office.
27:44 Team outings are not only the chance to unwind, but it also helps to build team relations. Team buildings are a great way of setting aside roles to get better acquainted with the team.
27:58 Managers should not view team building as a complete waste of time and money. Rather, you should invest in such occasions.
28:05 After all, you want to make sure that you maintain the engagement of your most important assets, your employees. If you are thinking about where to go in your next team building, here are a few places you should try.
28:20 Trampoline Park, retreat centers, ropes course, golf course, escape room, adult arcade, goal cart racing, tour your city, or team volunteering work.
28:37 Of course, team buildings aren't complete without fun and games, as the head of the team, you want to make sure that your activities are enjoyable and that everyone can participate.
28:47 Thinking of your next activity? Here are some fun group games. Scavenger Hunt. What's my name? A cook-off. Sneak-a-peak. Board game tournament.
29:00 Office trivia. What are the benefits of participating in team building activities? Well, here are a few, encourages teamwork, builds trust, develops communication, form team bonds, creates a fun work culture, invest in their skills.
29:22 You may find out that an employee has the potential to excel in a different field besides his current position. If so, this isn't just something to be impressed about.
29:33 It's also a sign for you to cultivate that potential. When your employee see that there is room to advance their career within your company, don't just let it go down the drain.
29:45 Offer growth whenever possible. Find out what skills and talents the different members of your team may have. Then look for ways on how to use these skills for future business purposes.
29:56 When you have top performing employees, maximize their potential by applying him to certified training, courses and seminars. Honing their skills will not only benefit the business, but also improve their state of mind and wellbeing.
30:14 When you help employees achieve optimum performance, they will provide a high level of efficiency and productivity for the business. Salibrate more often.
30:28 Low morale may be a result of the lack of celebrations in the workplace. For example, maybe your team reached a new peak in sales this month, yet for everyone it's just a reminder for them to work and work more.
30:42 If this is the case, then it's time to make a change. When every group team achieves something for the business, go ahead and celebrate, even in the small wins.
30:54 Try to have a fun office party after your team accomplishes a milestone or finish big projects. Create opportunities to celebrate and have some fun with your employees.
31:05 For example, you can have a company popluck where employees can bond and exchange recipes for them to enjoy. Some companies also promote smaller, less official holidays for employees to enjoy.
31:17 Ideas like open house, bring your dog to work day, national high five day, and national pizza day are great opportunities to have a workplace celebration.
31:28 Another way you can express simple gratitude is by surprising employees with healthy treats. Now and then try to bring in healthy and nutritious snacks.
31:37 doing something nice and unexpected for the employees is a way of saying thank you for a job well done. This will surely motivate them to keep doing their very best.
31:52 And now it's discussion time, the most important part of this training. Whoever's the head honked you in the group should designate a facilitator whose responsibility it is that each of the The questions you see on your screen is covered and that everyone time permitting is able to have their say.
32:10 Make sure all contributions are valued, all suggestions considered, and all opinions respected.