When employees are happy, they tend to be more productive. Furthermore, a happy employee is less likely to want to find another job, which means that the organization sees less turnover. If your people seem unhappy or bored at work, there are steps that you can take to increase their morale.

Consider a Pay Raise

Most people take a job because it comes with a paycheck. If employees don’t feel as if they are being properly compensated for their time and effort, they may be likely to start looking for other jobs. Alternatively, they could become disengaged or disgruntled workers who do just enough to not get fired. If you can’t give a pay raise, think about offering increased benefits or more vacation time throughout the year.

Allow Workers to Take Ownership of Their Work

Those who feel as if they are truly a part of the organization’s success will generally work harder. This is because everyone wants to be able to say that they were responsible for landing a client or responsible for organizing the store layout that increased sales by 10 percent. By allowing your people to run the business like it was their own, they will make smarter decisions and fewer mistakes.

Adjust the Lighting

It is never fun to work in an office where the lights blind you the second that they are turned on. It’s also never fun to work in an office where you run the risk of running into something because it’s too dark. To better control the amount of light that comes into a work area, contact companies like Shutterflex to have shutters installed on the windows.

Communicate with Your People

Employee morale may suffer if they don’t think that they can make suggestions, ask questions or voice concerns. At some point, they will feel resigned to the fact that they can’t help a customer or take steps to make their jobs easier or less stressful. Therefore, be sure to make yourself available to your people and to truly listen when they speak. In some cases, these ideas could result in significant cost savings or otherwise make the company stronger in the long-term.

It is critical to keep an eye on your employee’s morale. If they are not happy, they will not work hard or be interested in the success of the company. In many cases, improving morale involves nothing more than taking an interest in your workers and what they need to succeed.

Author's Bio: 

Hannah Whittenly is a freelance writer and mother of two from Sacramento, CA. She enjoys kayaking and reading books by the lake.