Keeping your staff motivated and improving office morale can seem like a daunting task at times, but it really doesn’t have to be.
A happy workforce is a productive workforce so it makes sense to spend some time on this area, to help I have gathered 7 great and low cost ideas to improve staff relations and office morale.
1. Late Days
Introducing the concept of late days can be a low cost way of boosting staff morale. The idea is that each member of staff gets to come in an hour late on a Monday or leave an hour early on a Friday just once a month.
Losing an hours’ worth of work may seem like an issue to you however the time is usually made up for by increased productivity levels when they are working.
2. Buy Them Lunch
For a quick morale boost which can be useful especially when bogged down in the middle of a big project why not consider buying everyone’s lunch?
A quick call to a local sandwich shop can often be all you need to get lunch delivered to your offices, offering your staff this out of the blue can be really effective in raising spirits.
3. Office Coffee Vending Machines
Many offices have poor catering facilities which usually entails a sink, kettle and a cupboard full of stained cups.
Installing an office coffee vending machine means that workers have quick and easy access to a variety of hot drinks, these can be offered free (if your budget allows) or at a low cost to them.
It’s also well known that keeping staff refreshed and hydrated can also help improve concentration and focus, so it’s really a win – win situation.
4. Dress Down Fridays
This office place perk is probably one of the more popular ones because it costs nothing to implement and doesn’t lose you any working hours either.
Simply let staff come to work every Friday in more casual work attire, the benefits of this can be seen in improved social interaction between staff and showing them that management is not too uptight and stuffy about everything.
5. Flexi Time Policy
Ask many office workers and they will agree that a flexi-time policy can be a really worthwhile bonus to them, it allows them time to manage their lives more effectively outside of work and can really impact both them and their families in a positive way.
Obviously this needs some management and is not right for every type of business however if you can make it work then you will reap the benefits in terms of improved office morale.
6. Say Thanks
A simple but effective way of making people feel more valued is to simply say ‘Thank You’.
Showing your appreciation for a job well done will make staff feel more positive and give them the confidence to perform even better on future work tasks.
7. Birthday Celebrations
One final tip is to celebrate staff birthdays. Simply keep a record of all birthdays and make an effort to get the whole office involved in celebrating the occasion.
You don’t have to go over the top with extravagant and expensive presents, a small cake, a funny card perhaps with a note of thanks or gift vouchers are a great way to show your appreciation and mark their birthdays. Getting everyone involved in singing them birthday wishes is a quick and fun way of improving people’s spirits.
Darren Atkinson works in marketing at LTT Vending, the UK’s largest independent vending machine operator.