As a high-level business professional, you’ve probably heard the term, “teamwork makes the dream work” more time than you care to mention. Although this silly saying has been around for decades (and most people take it as more of a joke than anything nowadays), this statement is entirely true if you analyze it. Without a team that works together, your business’ growth and success will always be limited.
Despite the relatively straightforward nature of this statement, it can sometimes be hard for leaders to find ways to boost their employees’ productivity and morale. Fortunately, there is still hope in the form of various company culture-related morale boosters and, with these implementations made within your own team’s daily work life, you are sure to see a happier and more productive team in no time.
Introduce Performance Incentives
One of the most commonly used morale boosters in the business industry is performance incentives. By offering your team various awards and prizes for being productive, you are sure to see a more driven and motivated team. The biggest benefit to this is that it’s as simple as buying a gift card or movie tickets. Although these incentives may seem like small prices to pay for productivity, your team is sure to respond to a good challenge.
Because of the competitive nature of business professionals, this incentives program is a great way for a team to feel driven, achieve goals, receive a return on their efforts, and have a friendly competition that only furthers your team’s connections with one another.
Related: How to Prevent Boring Office Meetings
Transform Your Office Space
Did you know that temperature, lighting, and noise conditions can affect a company’s productivity levels? According to research from Science Direct shared at The 2nd International Building Control Conference, “a comfortable working environment is important to enable employees to focus and do their job perfectly…This will ensure the quality of life at work as well as the performance of office workers for better organizational performance.”
With this in mind, perhaps, it is time to look at your current office space and find ways to transform it to increase productivity. Some of the best ways to do this are by using creative decorations, approving eco-friendly office initiatives, and creating a more inviting and productivity-inducing space. With creative decorations, you can encourage creativity in your employees that will stretch into their projects as well. Similarly, when approving eco-friendly initiatives, you are showing your employees that you respect the earth and their well-being. Lastly, by creating a more inviting and productivity-inducing space, you can reduce the noise and distractions of your office and help your employees to feel motivated for success.
Increase Promotions, Raises, and Benefits
Another one of the most common ways to increase productivity and morale is by offering tangible promotions, raises, and benefits for their hard work. Imagine, for a second, spending day and night as a cook for a local restaurant. Unlike some of your lazier peers, you take the time to deep clean your line, find solutions to problems in the back of house, and hone your craft to be the best cook you can be.
Still, after all this work is done, you continue to make the same wage and garner the same benefits as the peers which did none of this extra work. After a while, it’s no doubt that you would stop working as hard since there is no benefit in doing so.
In the same way, not providing your most productive employees with promotions, raises, and benefits is a good way to dampen this drive within them. Instead of having your hardest working employees feel unappreciated, encourage this drive and give the best opportunities to the members of your team that work the hardest. This sets a goal for other team members and lets you determine which members of your team are not driven in their positions.
Related: Finding a Work-Life Balance When You Work from Home
Utilize Volunteer Programs to Encourage Teamwork
A team that doesn’t work together is nothing more than a group of people all working for the same business. This is why it is important for productivity’s sake that you boost your employee morale and encourage they’re working together through various opportunities, such as volunteer work.
According to Talent Management and HR, “A vibrant employer supported volunteering program can contribute to improved employee perceptions of the workplace as well as higher levels of motivation and retention.”
Because you are not only getting your team to work together on a good cause, but also promoting this good cause through your business, you are effectively showing your team that they should be proud of where they work and should learn to work together to achieve their goals.
Start Having Employee Appreciation Events
Let’s go back to the cooking analogy for a second. As a cook that has been working hard to make a company better, you want to feel appreciated for your efforts. Now, imagine if that company had a special day dedicated to your hard work and dedication to the business. This event would make you feel respected and appreciated and keep you on the path of being a better cook and a better employee.
By providing your team with special events that are dedicated to their hard work in the office, you are effectively telling them that they matter and that their efforts have not gone unnoticed. Although this event can be anything from the tried-and-true office pizza party or an outing to a local bowling alley, this shows your employees that they matter, which boosts their morale and makes them want to continue to be productive for you and the company.
Related: 10 Ways to Strengthen Your Client Relationships
Get Your Team More Involved in the Business
There are many skills every entrepreneur needs to perfect, but one of the most crucial skills is knowing your team. In order to do this, you must get them involved in your business in ways you may have not previously thought of. For instance, by including your team in budgeting or business connections, you can not only get to know this team on a deeper level, but also have valuable insight into clients, connections, and finances you wouldn’t have had otherwise. This means that not only will your team feel more invested in the work they produce for you, but they will also be able to help you achieve more goals and make more informed decisions.
Although there are many more ways to boost your team’s productivity and morale in the workplace, these tips alone should get you on the right path and allow you to see what a fully productive and happy team looks like—spoiler alert: it’s pretty amazing.