Employee morale is fundamental to the success of businesses big and small across South Africa. Business owners should go above and beyond to ensure that their employees feel accepted, supported, and valued within their places of work. Activities that encourage these positive business associations among employees will improve employee morale for greater success in the workplace. CEOs, managers, and department representatives have a responsibility to provide productive work environments and will reap the benefits of a satisfied employee base as a result. It is also critical that business owners create a safe working environment to foster morale.
In the following article, we highlight 7 tips to boost employee morale as well as how to ensure that your workforce is safe and secure at your business premises, commuting to and from work, and at home.
1. Clarify Growth Opportunities
Thousands of businesses across South Africa claim to offer growth opportunities but, in reality, many fail to deliver on promises made during an employee’s first interview for a position. It is important that growth opportunities for an employee’s unique position in the workplace are clear and there are specific goals to achieve to advance their career. Transparency regarding career growth is crucial in a business owner’s efforts to support employee morale.
2. Encourage Employee Independence
Better employee morale in the workplace depends on the trust established between employer and employee. Micromanaging is a major morale destroyer and costly management style that showcases a lack of trust in one’s employees. Instead, managers may adopt a weekly catchup review where work can be freely and openly discussed, with recommendations and suggestions offered to improve workflow and output in the coming week. In this method, employees have greater independence during the workweek.
3. Let Teams Support One Another
Company departments work, in one way or another, towards achieving the same corporate goals. Employee morale is a shared experience and requires buy-in across these departments to achieve these goals more efficiently. A tactic to support morale across departments and promote success is to allow support across the various teams. Consider monthly or bi-monthly seminars that encourage employees to share ideas beyond the roles and responsibilities of their positions. There is great value in creating inclusive and supportive team dynamics.
4. Make Training a Priority
Employees jump at the opportunity to expand their skills and develop their knowledge of a businesses’ unique workplace and operations. By prioritizing training at various levels of an employee’s career, business owners not only improve morale but ensure that their staff is capable of exceeding expectations as they enter new positions with greater responsibilities. The following steps showcase how to ensure you provide scalable training solutions.
5. Rework the Workflow Schedule
Remote working remains a cost-effective work environment strategy for businesses across the country. Remote working is also welcomed by employees, up to a point. The common work-from-home misconception is that employees are available 24/7, with after-hours calls and messages begrudgingly answered by disgruntled employees during their personal time. It may be necessary to rework your company’s workflow schedule to cater for unique office structures, whether you operate completely with in-house staff, provide work-from-home days, or work entirely online. Encourage your managers to oversee a steady workflow according to the schedule and try to keep out-of-office communications dedicated to emergencies.
6. Acknowledge Your Employees Personal Challenges
The greatest employee morale is experienced in companies that understand and respect their workforces personal lives and unique challenges. Business owners can showcase support for their employees by encouraging honest and transparent communication regarding personal situations that affect workplace productivity. ‘Open door policy’ is a term that is thrown around haphazardly, but there is value in inviting your employees to air their concerns and challenges should they impact their work. The following resource provides insight into the role of the employer with regards to mental health and the workplace, a very serious personal struggle that should be recognized within the office.
7. Empower Your Employees Security
Your employees’ feelings of safety directly influence employee morale. Your workforce is unlikely to bring the best to the office if they are paranoid about their security. The latest South African crime statistics showcase major increases in safety threats across the board, calling for immediate intervention by business owners. When it comes to protecting your workforce and providing a safe environment for greater employee morale, Secura can step in to support your company.
Offering businesses across the country access to affordable bulk employee security solutions, Secura is the most cost-effective armed response solution for greater ROI. Using the latest geo-location technology connecting employees to the largest network of armed security teams across all nine provinces, Secura maintains its position as the leading security platform in South Africa.
Let Secura take care of your employees’ safety so that you can take care of business.
