How to Improve Team Morale

In order to have a productive and high-functioning team, it is important to maintain morale. Maintaining morale can be difficult, however, when team members feel like they are not being heard or their work is not appreciated. There are a number of ways to improve team morale that do not involve giving everyone a raise or increasing the office space. 

How Team Morale Impacts Performance and Productivity

It has been shown time and again that happy, and empowered employees make for a productive workplace. When team morale is high, people are more likely to go above and beyond what is asked of them. They are also less likely to get paralyzed, and call in sick, meaning that there is less downtime and more work getting done. High morale can also lead to increased creativity, as people feel more comfortable taking risks when they feel supported by their team.

It is actually documented that the relationship between work effort and productivity becomes stronger at higher levels of morale. This isn't just focused on an individual level, areas of poor morale amongst teams can have a wider impact on the company as a whole, therefore it's wise not to ignore smaller issues of morale as they can spread throughout teams and be harmful to your company.

How to Improve Team Morale

Immediate Actions

Give recognition to employees

The most simplistic method to boost morale is to give recognition to employees. This can be on an individual level and for team performance.  Recognition does not have to be given in the form of a bonus or financial compensation but can come in the form of acknowledgment during team meetings, handwritten notes, or public praise.

Organize Team Building Activities

A great way to build team morale is to organize team-building activities. This can be anything from an off-site retreat, team vacation, or fun and games through a Zoom call. The important thing is that it's an opportunity for employees to socialize and bond with each other. Ensure that work is not headline discussed during these events. 

Measure team morale through eNPS and team surveys

Surveys can help managers gauge how teams are feeling through specifically designed questions and scores. This is something that takes place over time and can directly pinpoint how teams are feeling, which can be narrowed to specific teams and help to identify morale issues and possible causes for low morale. Flowtrace features eNPS and team surveys through its product to make this easy and actionable.

Short Term Actions

Collect feedback from teams

Through formal (employee surveys, one to ones) or informal (conversations, team meetings, focus groups) means, collect feedback from employees on what is and is not working in the organization. This will help to identify morale boosters and potential sources of team conflict. You might find teams are unhappy with their workload and it's affecting their morale.

Encourage openness and transparency

Encourage employees to be open and transparent with each other. This will help to build trust and improve communication. Furthermore, it will allow employees to feel like they are part of a team and not just a cog in a machine. Also, leaders and higher-level managers should be transparent with their teams, this reduces the need for incorrect assumptions from teams and rumors floating that can harm morale.

Embed breaks into workdays

In order to avoid burnout, it is important to embed generous breaks into workdays. This will allow employees to take a mental break and come back refreshed. Furthermore, it is important to encourage employees to use their vacation days. Employees should not feel guilty about taking time off, as this will only lead to more stress and lower productivity.