Ideas for Employee Morale

• A good business owner or manager understands that maintaining employee morale is good for the company in many ways. Bad morale can result in such counter-productive activities as an increase in sick days taken, a drop in the quality of work, increased employee turnover and a drop in productivity, according to employment expert Dr. David G. Javitch writing for the Entrepreneur website. Use some ideas for employee morale to keep your employees happy and productive.

Employee Recognition

• Offering programs for employee recognition can help increase morale and give employees something to look forward to each month, according to employment expert Dr. David G. Javitch writing for the Entrepreneur website. Try to do something a little more than just giving your best employees an "Employee of the Month" certificate. Offer the parking spot closest to the door to the month's top employee, or allow the employee of the month to leave an hour early each Friday of the month. Let employees know that everyone in the company is eligible for the monthly employee recognition awards, and create a small presentation luncheon at the end of each month to present the awards.

Employee Feedback

• The company should solicit employee feedback and use employee suggestions to help maintain company morale, according to business expert Phaedra Hise writing on the Inc.com website. Have a regular meeting once a month where employees can give feedback on company issues, and be sure to have employees submit their suggestions in writing. Create a suggestion box where employees can give suggestions anonymously. When you implement a process or make an improvement based on employee feedback, make sure your employees know that you are doing so. When the staff feels included in the running of the company, they will take a more personal interest in the company's success. This creates a feeling of accomplishment when the company does well and improves morale.

Education

• One way to let employees know that you are concerned for their future is to offer them educational opportunities, according to management expert Jane Applegate writing on the Forbes website. Offer regular training on saving for retirement, healthy eating and other topics that are important to employees. Increase the amount of product training you do and open that training up to any employee that may be interested. Develop a program where you can help employees pay for higher education that would pertain to the work they do for the company. Morale improves when the staff feels that management is interested in employee development and improvement.