No-one wants to work in an office where morale is low; it’s miserable and productivity and profitability will fall as everyone clock watches until 5.30. 

 

1. As a manager think about what makes you happy in the workplace. Do you appreciate a ‘thankyou’ now and again from your bosses? Your staff are likely to feel the same, so make sure you praise and reward everyone for their efforts.
2. Do people know what they are doing? A clearly defined job description helps people to know what it expected of them. There’s no point getting annoyed by someone who you think is not pulling their weight if they’re unsure of their role.
3. Do all of your staff have the necessary skills to undertake their roles successfully? There’s nothing more stressful for an employee than feeling under equipped to do a job and can be very demoralising, especially if they get the blame when things go wrong.
4. The majority of people like being part of a team – especially one that’s doing well. Enthusiasm is contagious so why don’t you be the spark to create a new found energy within your department? Celebrate successes and implement positive change.
5. No-one likes to be out of the loop, or the last to hear – make sure you keep all of your staff up-to-date with the latest happenings at your organisation. It will really help people to feel valued and part of a team.
6. Keep an open ear… If you don’t ask what’s up? How will you ever find out? Engage with your staff – ask your staff what they think could be done to improve the working environment, systems and processes. Listen and discuss how positive change can be implemented. Never rest on your laurels and keep the conversation flowing.
7. Make flexible working an option for all employees – not just those with small children. We all have families and a life outside of office hours and sometimes we need to be there for others, or even our pets, so be flexible. If you’re understanding to what’s important in your staff’s lives they’ll be much more prepared to go the extra mile for you.
8. Do you support all of your workers throughout their career? You may have training in place to support graduates or those on apprenticeships, but what about those promoted through the ranks for being good at their job, but struggling to be a great manager too?
9. Stamp out negative behaviour – there is no bigger drain on staff morale than a disgruntled employee or bullying behaviour. It is absolutely imperative that you have the right processes in place to deal with insidious behaviour before it impacts on the wider workforce. 
10. Take time out of the office with your team. It doesn’t have to be an expensive away day, why not support a local charity initiative? You can all work together, get to know each other better, share skills and see what a difference you can make as a strong cohesive unit.

 

About the author 

Gary Cattermole is a director at The Survey Initiative. ​