Now that we are coming out of the pandemic, businesses are seeing a shift. There may still be many people working from home, and some filtering into the office as restrictions are lifted. Due to how scattered the work environment has been over the past 16 months, company morale is likely at an all-time low. When people don’t feel connected with coworkers or the business itself, it can lead toward job dissatisfaction and high turnover.
Interestingly, and perhaps not surprisingly, when people are required to work together, whether it’s on a project, on a team or for hypothetical purposes designed to build trust, company morale increases. This, in turn, creates high employee job satisfaction, making them more efficient at their job, more congenial with one another and clients, and ultimately raising profits and company outlook.
Never Underestimate the Power of Volunteering
According to mental health specialists all over the world, the key to happiness and soul fulfillment is to volunteer your time to a worthy cause. Doing so, in the name of the company, alongside fellow employees, will help individuals not only feel better about themselves, but it will also create an intrinsic sense of compassion surrounding the business.
- Employees will increase their personal connections to each other and the community, and ultimately, themselves
- Overall sense of well-being is proven to be a direct result of volunteerism, which is bound to have the after effect of creating a healthier, more productive work environment
- The community views the company as a benevolent and charitable entity
Host Team Building Events with Rewards
Feeling isolated is one of the most common reasons employees fall in productivity levels. Even though the work day may be long and filled with business activities, it’s important to schedule out regular time for employees to have fun with one another. This doesn’t have to be a day at the beach, of course, but rather an event that sparks ongoing communication, trust, loyalty, and friendship. Working toward an incentive will add additional purpose to these activities. Gift cards will help your employees feel appreciated. They are also available to purchase online and can be delivered instantaneously via email or text.
- Communication Technique involves getting employees together to break the ice with one another. Individuals who sit only feet away from one another may never have actually spoken until put into a communication team building activity.
- Personality Technique involves having everyone complete one of the better known Personality Tests (like Myers-Briggs) and then team leaders assign various tasks based on personality type. This allows for employees to appreciate the differences and uniqueness within the group.
- Problem Solving Technique involves challenging employees and is designed to help employees discover new modes of conflict resolution and how to improve communication with one another.
Winning Isn’t Everything
While it’s fulfilling for the employees who win the activities they are set out to do, what about the employees who don’t win? It’s important to note that even though there can and should be some emphasis on ‘doing your best,’ that events held solely in the spirit of winning can further isolate employees who may be introverted or are physically or even mentally unable to step up to the task.
Holding events for employees that are meant for co-mingling will work for the company in a multitude of ways.
- All employees feel appreciated
- Employees have the opportunity to meet everyone
- There are no potential ‘hard feelings’ for those who may feel overwhelmed in challenge activities.
Consider holding company events like Breakfasts, BBQ’s, free play game day in the courtyard, and even starting groups that employees can join including Book Clubs and Meditation Groups, etc. When employees feel valued by a business which takes the time to make their emotional well-being a priority, there is higher morale and lower turnover rates.
Properly Scheduling Events
Having a mix of team building events and all-group events will require creative scheduling. Be sure that events aren’t held on days when many people are scheduled for their vacation or are not scheduled to work. Since people don’t generally like to go into work on their days off or stay late afterwards, schedule events during the work day and when regular business and productivity tend to be low.
Gaining employee interest and keeping it may be even more difficult post-pandemic, but certainly not impossible. Valuing employees is easy, once you see them as individuals with a need to feel accepted and appreciated. Getting them together for events will spark morale, ultimately meaning more trust in the company, and higher profits.
