6 Creative Morale Boosters to Encourage Productivity and Engagement

Do you feel like your employees are disengaged and suffering from low morale?

If so, you have a big problem on your hands. Studies show that disengaged employees cost US companies up to $550 billion per year. And, teams that are highly engaged show 21 percent higher profitability.

Luckily, there are things you can do to boost your employees’ morale and engagement levels.

Check out this guide to discover the top morale boosters to encourage productivity and engagement.

1. Host a Unique Team-Building Event

Hosting a unique team-building event is one of the best ways to boost company morale. With an event, your employees get a break from thinking about work and enjoy time with one another.

Plus, your employees will return to their jobs with more motivation by taking a break for some fun. In fact, a study in Psychology Today found that 90 percent of employees find a fun work environment to be “extremely motivating”.

So, what should you do for your team building event? Here are some ideas:

• Host a board game tournament
• Play office trivia
• Have a cookout
• Play laser tag
• Go go-kart racing
• Volunteer together
• Take a sight-seeing tour
• Take a painting class or cooking class
• Rent an escape room
• Host a karaoke night
• Put together a scavenger hunt

As you can see, most of the ideas on this list don’t take up a lot of time or money. Even just an afternoon away from the office can make all the difference in company morale.

2. Ask for Feedback

Many employees feel like they’re not being listened to, and their superiors don’t value their feedback. This can result in low morale and disengaged employees.

To show your employees that you value their opinions, ask them for feedback. You could ask them for input on boosting morale, what to do for your next company event, or how to redecorate the office. The more you can get employees involved in everyday decisions, the better.

To gather feedback, we suggest creating an online survey. Then, recruit some volunteers to assess the study and tackle the problem.

3. Encourage Real Lunch Breaks

Did you know that 50 percent of American workers skip their lunch breaks? And, 2 in 3 millennial workers claim to cut their lunch break to “get ahead”?

While skipping lunch may seem like a sign of dedication, the truth is that missed lunch breaks are both bad for your health and your company’s bottom line. In fact, 90 percent of American workers state that lunch breaks help them feel refreshed and ready to get back to work.

If your employees have been slacking with their lunch breaks, it’s time to change. You should encourage employees to take their full allotted time (whether that’s a half an hour or a full hour), but you should also encourage your employees to be more interactive during their breaks.

For example, you can take out a few employees once per week to have lunch at a new restaurant. Or, you can encourage employees to go for walks during their coffee breaks.

The more energized they feel after their breaks, the better morale and performance will be.

4. Express Gratitude

Expressing gratitude is a simple yet extremely effective way to boost company morale. In fact, studies show that expressing gratitude boosts both psychological and physical health, improves your mood, and improves your sleep health.

But, expressing gratitude means more than just walking by an employee’s desk and saying, ‘nice work on that report’. To boost company morale, we suggest taking time out of the day for gratitude.

One way to do this is to host a “gratitude time” each Friday of the week. During this time, employees can call out other colleagues for crushing it during the week. They should all also name one thing that they’re grateful for.

Setting aside time for gratitude allows your team to reflect on the week’s accomplishments and jump into the weekend on a positive note.

You may even consider handing out awards or diplomas during these sessions. You can check out this guide to learn the top great reasons for doing so.

5. Increase Vacation Days

Increasing vacation days is something that’s definitely easier said than done. But, if you can increase your employees’ vacation time, it can make a real difference for your company.

Now, we know what you’re thinking, “How does giving my employees more time away from the office help boost morale in the office?”

There has been a lot of research lately on the effects of vacation time. Researchers have found that more vacation time results in increased productivity, lower stress levels, and better mental health.

So, take some time to look at your company’s vacation policy and see if there are ways you can add in some more time off for you and your employees.

6. Go Green

Studies show that spending time outdoors improves mental health. But, you can’t exactly move your entire office to a park.

The solution? Bring the green space indoors by adding many plants to your office. Also, encourage employees to spend their breaks in parks or in the outdoors.

If possible, you can even hold some meetings outside or encourage employees to step out to make phone calls. If employees can work remotely, put together a list of cafes with outdoor seating or a list of parks where they can hotspot from.

Are You Ready to Test Out These Morale Boosters?

Now that you have these morale boosters in mind, it’s time to put them to the test. Before you know it, employee morale will be soaring.

If you liked this article, be sure to check back in with our blog for more ways to boost your business.