7 Ways to Build Morale on Your Team

honour boundaries

If you’ve read my articles in the past, you know that this was going to pop up! Boundaries are about respect. Full stop. By honouring them, you’re saying that your employee can trust you. Boundaries are broken when employees are pushed and/or expected to function outside their job description, asked to work during their vacations and/or days off, belittled by management and/or co-workers, and ignored when it comes to conflict and inappropriate behaviour in the workplace… just to name a few. Honouring boundaries is one of the healthiest ways to move a team forward.

Speaking of conflict… 

WORK THROUGH CONFLICT

Surprisingly, conflict isn’t always loud like yelling and slamming doors (yes, it happens). Sometimes it’s quiet—through undermining and condescending behaviour, disagreements over projects and workflow, abuse of authority, and colleagues not pulling their weight. Some of these situations need an outside mediator (particularly if conflicts involve family members or individuals of close relation). While others simply need an honest conversation that’s handled head-on—address the issue, air/voice opinions, find resolve, and set boundaries for the future. Check out this Forbes article for more insight.

RECOGNITION

Gifts are all well and good, but if your team is working effectively, day-in and day-out, tackling problems, and helping build the business, then take a moment (or a dime) to appreciate. Depending on the situation and the project, acknowledgement can look like a shoutout in front of the team and/or client, but for longevity bonuses, additional benefits, and raises go a long way! That last point needs emphasis. All I need to do is cue yet another viral TikTok video about people asking for more support to prove that this has been overlooked in the workforce. 

LEAD BY EXAMPLE

As human beings, we are naturally inclined to follow. Some of us stand out amongst the rest, but generally, people follow those in leadership. Management—all management, whether low-level or high-level—need to lead by example. All forms of leadership go hand-in-hand with great responsibility. Eyes are on you, so if you neglect your employees, soon they’ll neglect their work. If you encourage your employees, they too will encourage each other in their work. Simple cause-and-effect! 

EXPRESS PRIORITIES

Naming priorities each week can play a crucial part in preventing miscommunication. As a leader, this is your role. By delegating priorities, the team can be the most efficient with their time and resources. Just think of what could happen if this didn’t happen—conflict. Sadly, telepathy isn’t an asset of any employee, so it’s up to you to regularly vocalize priorities. 

Trust

Yep. Need I say more? 

The bottom line is that you hired them! You trusted yourself enough to screen them well. Now it’s time to trust your employees to do the work you hired them to do. Onboard them well, communicate priorities, and then take a step back. Give them a chance to work their wonders!

Listen, listen, and listen

Create opportunities to listen to what your employees need. Leave room in your one-on-ones for areas that leadership could improve in. FYI… most people fear that if they are honest at work about how they feel about their superiors, their job is on the line. So, to help with that, why not try regular anonymous surveys, like Typeform? The anonymity creates safety for the employees to be truthful, so don’t overlook that part.

There are many, MANY ways to build team morale and prevent “The Great Resignation” in your business and work. What’s important is to start trying and care for your team how you would like to be cared for! In no way will this be easy, particularly if team morale is already low, but leadership has never been about ease, rather opportunity and challenge. As Susan Wojcicki (YouTube CEO) said, “Rarely are opportunities perfectly presented to you. In a nice little box with a yellow bow on top. ‘Here, open it, it’s perfect. You’ll love it.’ Opportunities—the good ones—are messy, confusing and hard to recognize. They’re risky. They challenge you.”

Challenge yourself to increase team morale and fight the urge to drift. You’ll thank yourself in the long run (and so will your employees)!