As humans, we are social creatures. We thrive and prosper when we are able to interact with each other. It’s how we grow both as individuals and as a team.
Key Takeaways
Remote employees have a new set of challenges that the workforce has never faced before. Upkeeping positive employee morale is essential.
Here’s how to do so.
- Make some time to have fun team-building events and exercises
- Organize a company event to deliver a powerful message
- Remind everyone to maintain excellent communication
- Acclimatize your team to a positive company culture
- Listen to what your team has to say, and encourage employee feedback
- Encourage a healthy work-life balance
Today’s employees are working remotely more than ever. And when we’re physically separated from the other team members of our organization, it’s easy to feel emotionally distant and disconnected.
And that’s when employee morale can start to suffer.
Luckily, making an effort to be active in your remote employee’s morale can be relatively easy. Here are some of the best ways to boost employee morale for those working remotely.
See Related: Understanding Employee Empowerment In The Workplace
How To Boost Employee MORALE
If you’re a little iffy on what MORALE actually means, here’s a quick definition.
Employee morale is the attitude and outlook of employees when it comes to their work environment.
Low employee morale usually correlates with a negative outlook on job roles and the company, while high employee morale drives us to be engaged and productive. Employee morale is a critical aspect of any organization and team.
So when it starts to falter, how can we reignite it?
#1. Make Time For Team Building Activities
The key to maintaining employee morale in a positive light is active engagement. Unfortunately, remote workers can have difficulty staying connected to their team.
So, you’ll need to find a way to revitalize feelings of fellowship and professional attachment.
After all, when you’re only connected with your employees via group chat and emails, it’s easy for a real workplace relationship to fade away. And when employees feel alone and disconnected, staff morale suffers.
But you don’t need to be on video call 24/7 to feel connected with your employees. Even a few minutes a day of niceties and “good morning” messages can transform a lonely remote environment into a genuine collaborative workplace.
The Power Of Enjoyable And Fun Collaboration
An easy way to boost employee morale is by engaging in team-building activities. Not only is this an excellent way to enjoy some fun collaborative exercises, but it’s also a fantastic method for improving moods and morale.
A simple idea to get it started is to incorporate some icebreakers during your weekly meetings. For example, ask your remote workers to share their favorite TV show or if they did anything fun over the weekend.
You can also host virtual coffee breaks or team lunches over video calls.
There are many ideas out there for fun virtual team-building activities. Find what works best for your unique remote team!
#2. Organize A Virtual Company Event
Team building exercises are fun and get the job done, but boosting employee morale is more complex than that.
If you really want to positively impact your team’s lives and minds, you need to go bigger than that.
I’m talking about virtual events. And as an experienced corporate emcee, I know a great deal about the extensive benefits of company events.
Find The Right Speaker
The key to a successful and meaningful event lies in the speaker. This person has an immense responsibility in that they are the one who sets the tone for the entire occasion.
And if your goal is to boost employee morale, you need a keynote speaker who is hilarious but still relatable. So steer clear of speakers who resort to using crude or inappropriate jokes in their acts.
Don’t let the idea of a virtual speaker deter you. Finding a comedic and magical virtual speaker is easy if you know where to look!
#3. Remember, Communication Is Key
Employee morale can be heavily influenced by the extracurricular activities you host. So whether it’s a company event or a virtual lunch hour, making a conscious and genuine effort is already a huge part of it.
But employee morale is deeper than the fun events you orchestrate. It’s about something deeper.
How To Tap Into A Positive Morale
Employee morale is heavily tied to job satisfaction, employee recognition, and company values. Often, when these factors flourish, so does employee morale.
Positive morale in the workplace stems from deep connections to job responsibilities and co-workers or employees. A healthy work environment is contingent on staying connected to those we work with.
The key here is communication.
It’s pretty straightforward. If we want to feel heard and stay connected to our employees, we need to ensure open communication is a priority. Whether it’s a (virtual) open-door policy or just having wholesome one-on-one meetings, staying in touch is essential.
Demonstrate your communication priorities as a workplace leader by
- Having regular team meetings
- Setting clear expectations of what remote staff need to do
- Knowing when not to communicate
- Not badgering employees outside of working hours
- Respecting employee’s personal time and time-off
- Encouraging a healthy work-life balance
High levels of effective communication improve employee morale, boost productivity, and reduce stress. Excellent communication can also lead to better customer satisfaction.
Bonus: 8 Tips To Overcome Your Fear Of Public Speaking
#4. Acclimatization To A Healthy Company Culture
We should all know by now that company culture is everything. Well, maybe not everything, but it is exceptionally important in establishing a healthy and positive workplace.
Some business leaders can fall under the misconception that company culture takes a back seat for remote workers. Unfortunately, it’s easy to falsely assume this when we are separated and disconnected physically.
But regardless of where we are, whether it’s virtual or on-site, company culture always matters. As a matter of fact, it’s even more essential for those operating remotely.
Remote work can be draining and hard on mental health. You must ensure your company values promote positive recognition and employee appreciation, even at a distance.
Strong and positive company culture helps remote teams feel connected to their roles and responsibilities. It gives them a tie to a broader purpose and encourages employee engagement.
If you don’t see the reason for your hard work and efforts, it’s much easier to feel detached. That’s why company culture is such an integral part of team morale.
#5. Listen And Encourage Feedback
Communication is about staying in touch about company updates, specifying job responsibilities, and connecting on a personal level. But we need to dive deeper to find ways to boost employee morale.
You need to understand how to listen and respond to your employees.
Listening is about more than team meetings and replying to emails. It’s about using emotional intelligence to provide empathy, respect, and understanding.
Encouraging Employees To Give Feedback
Listening is relatively easy. But your employees can see pretty quickly if what they are saying is only going out the other ear, so to speak.
Your employees should be able to entrust you with their thoughts, emotions, and ideas. Encourage employees to speak up and give feedback.
Low morale happens when remote teams feel dissatisfied with some aspect of their role or working environment. Sharing feedback helps employees voice their concerns and fix whatever is going wrong.
We already know that remote work can be isolating at times. So if an employee is dissatisfied, it can be frustrating for them to track down a reliable way to voice their discontent.
As a leader, you must be proactive in giving your team a voice.
It’s up to you to encourage employees to take the first steps in sharing their inner thoughts and feelings. It can be daunting for some, so help them feel comfortable.
Don’t leave it solely up to your employees to find a way to give feedback. As a leader in the workplace, feedback will benefit you also.
It’s as simple as setting time aside for employees to reach out to you via email, messages, or phone calls. Make sure you’re available!
You can also start by initiating the questions and prompting your team to think about what kind of change they want to see in their working environment.
#6. Encourage Employees To Have Breaks
A healthy work-life balance is the solid foundation of any organization or workplace. Without a robust balance between our personal and professional life, it’s easy to get burnt out.
When we work from home, it’s easy to feel that line blur. It’s more challenging to separate our work life from our home life.
To boost employee morale, a proper work-life balance is needed. Ensure your team knows the utmost importance of this.
An easy way to promote a healthy lifestyle is to urge employees to take regular breaks during the day. Set boundaries, and encourage taking time off when needed.
You don’t want your team to get so caught up in their working responsibilities that their personal life starts to suffer. Set clear expectations about what is needed at work, and then reiterate that professional responsibilities don’t outweigh personal happiness!
Give Remote Workers The Tools To Succeed
Morale gives employees the empowerment to thrive and grow in their roles. A positive attitude and a willingness to learn are arguably the most powerful assets a modern-day employee can have.
Virtual workplaces are taking the world by storm. The flexibility that remote working offers are unparalleled and increasingly appealing.
So as an organization leader, it’s essential to know how to adapt to this new type of workforce and essentially serve as emcee when needed. From a business perspective, it’s necessary for company growth and development. But from a human perspective, it’s vital for the happiness of your virtual team.
Boosting employee morale isn’t something you can let fall by the wayside. So whether you host a company event or set up a couple of new Slack channels, it’s up to you to create a happy and healthy workplace!
Keep Reading: Top 6 Public Speakers In The World Right Now
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Adam Christing has been called “The Tom Brady of emcees.” He has hosted more than 1,000 company meetings, special events, gala celebrations, and more. He is the author of several books and founder of CleanComedians.com. For more event tips, follow Adam Christing on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
