Low morale in the workplace significantly impacts the productivity of employees, and not in a good way. That is why you need to nip this problem in the bud. Otherwise, it can decrease the success of your venture. It does not matter what business you are doing. Either way, the positivity or negativity of the workforce plays a vital role in the results. It is about time you started thinking about what is a good retirement gift. You need to cater to the needs of your workers and not only financially. They spend a lot of time at work, and it thus follows that the workplace should be a safe space. Otherwise, you will deal with eye rolls, poor collaboration, and other such success-impacting factors. Here is what you can do:
Have an Outing
Numerous companies often take their workers out on outings. You may wonder how this helps, but team building studies show that being out of the workplace opens up people. They interact on levels they would never have, and they get to see another side of each other. In learning more about their co-workers, staff members can then relate to them, and this shows in the workplace. For more effective results, have the workers vote for a place that appeals to them. Being part of this decision making makes them support the outing even more.
Integrate Software
For most organizations, communication takes place via emails. While this is a relatively easy way to get messages across, it can also dampen productivity. Many people feel pressured after reading emails on tasks that they should accomplish. There have been cases where heart rates or blood pressure increased after reading an email. Also, emails imply a sense of urgency, and this increases the pressure in the workplace.
Instead of cultivating a high-stress environment, you should work on reducing the sense of urgency. It is possible through the use of software. Here, you can upload and download tasks efficiently. You can see who is working on what without giving them an undue sense of pressure. Using software also allows your workers to track their efficiency and work on it devoid of supervision.
Reduce Negativity
Some executives think that the way to improve productivity in their companies is to offer raises and promotions. Of course, people will take these up as they work in helping them meet their financial obligations. However, these bonuses will not improve their productivity in the long-term. They will keep workers focused for a while, but they will not take away from what is wrong in the workplace.
An easy way to boost productivity is to get rid of negativity. That means that people exhibiting rude, racist, sexist, and other such behaviors should not be in the workplace. Without such practices, people feel more at home and can focus on their work, rather than on the attacks. By weeding out such characters, you can expect a lot more performance than you would get through bonuses.
Listen to Employees
Most organizations will have a complaints and compliments box. They have human resource offices and have mechanisms in place for workers to air their concerns. However, these channels may or may not work when it comes to effective communication. For one, workers may be afraid of the backlash if they speak out on their fears. It may be so when the people receiving the complaints are the root of the problem. Secondly, a company may not take action against the views aired by the workers.
It helps to understand what your workers are going through. You may find that it is the little things that matter the most. Maybe all they want is a day off now and then. It could be that the air conditioning is not operating optimally, and this hurts their performance. You will not know until you take the time to listen to your workers. You can get more honest answers by carrying out a survey using a third party. That way, workers will open up about things they would generally not tell the human resource officer.
Do not forget to provide opportunities for growth; else, your workers will feel stuck in the organization.
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