Human Resources Blog - Spark Hire

3 Ways to Improve Workplace Morale

We’ve all been there: your entire office is caught in a rut. No one is excited about their job, let alone coming into work each day. Teams have been struggling to work together efficiently and effectively. The last thing anyone wants to do is embark on a new project together.

So what can you do to change this? How can you improve morale in the workplace and increase employee motivation?

#3. Celebrate something — anything.

This doesn’t have to be a big deal — just a quick break from work and milk and cookies in the conference room. It’s amazing what a half hour every month set aside for fun and getting to know one another can do for your workplace environment.

Celebrate that month’s birthdays, a co-worker’s promotion or the first signs of spring. And if your office doesn’t have the budget to provide refreshments, you don’t need any. Play a quick game of charades or Catch Phrase — anything to get people out of their shells and their minds off of work for a bit.

#2. Encourage breaks from the office.

More often than not, employees in America are sharing lunchtime with their desktop, and while hard work is certainly appreciated, this type of work ethic can get pretty stale after a while.

It’s not healthy for employees to spend eight, nine, ten hours a day at their desk without a break. Make it mandatory that employees spend at least one lunch break each week away from the office. It doesn’t have to be a full hour — just a half an hour will do. But getting your employees out of the office can do wonders for employee motivation in the workplace.

#1. Transform the office into a family.

Chances are, there are employees in your office who fit stereotypical family molds. You’ve got everyone from the maternal co-worker to the employee that’s more like the quirky cousin.

It’s ok to foster this type of working dynamic in your workplace. Encourage your employees to move in this direction through office potlucks and signing birthday cards for each other. Your employees will feel more invested in their work when they’re also invested in each other. Nothing builds employee motivation like making people feel that they matter.

A break from the mundane and an opportunity for real, lasting connections lifts workplace morale and offers encouragement to employees in a variety of ways. Your employees will return to their desks feeling refreshed and ready to take on the next team project.

What do you think of our list? Is there a potential morale booster we didn’t cover? Be sure to let us know in the comments.

IMAGE: Courtesy of Flickr by imcountingufoz

Kathryn Randolph

Kathryn is a freelance writer currently living in Chicago, Illinois. She holds a B.A. in English Writing from DePauw University and has five years experience writing for major job search and higher education websites. When she's not writing for the web, Kathryn is hanging out with her new baby girl, traveling, cooking, reading and running. She believes that the perfect job is out there for everyone and hopes to help Spark Hire job seekers discover their career passion and pursue it.