Whether you’re a freelancer, employed at company A, or running a business with more than one employee, one thing is for sure – your bottom line will heavily rely on how productive and motivated you (and others) are at accomplishing your day-to-day tasks.
However, performing at your best often means identifying and addressing various pain points and issues that can affect morale and performance.
If you’re looking to enhance workplace productivity and morale, below are some critical factors to pay keen attention to, especially if you’re managing a workforce or running a business.
1. The Workplace Surroundings
For any workplace setting to be productive, the surroundings have to be properly designed and well maintained; with the safety, comfort, and health of the users or employees in mind.
From the available space to the colors on the walls, lighting, and the décor elements included, the overall design of a workplace can have a profound impact on the mood, focus, creativity, and health of employees.
This perhaps explains why these ideas on improving workplace productivity in an article by the Bouqs suggest including flowers and plants in the office to promote employee morale and productivity.
All in all, creating a workplace environment that doesn’t crush productivity could mean making a few changes.
Read: 5 Ultimate Ways How to Increase Workplace Motivation
2. Leadership
Leadership can have a huge impact on workplace morale and productivity in several ways. A lack of one can directly lead to subpar tasks, shoddy work, subpar client interactions, mistakes, and even a lack of motivation.
In cases when employees experience subpar management, the end result is likely to be a decrease in productivity and morale.
Thankfully, this can be rectified. If you’re an employer, team lead, supervisor, or manager, seeking ways to improve your leadership skills can go a long way in enhancing workplace morale and productivity.
Most employees don’t hate their jobs, but they hate the people they have to deal with every day. And this is why leadership in the workplace is extremely important.
When you follow a great leader, you will love your job and you will look forward to going to the office and performing at your best. But when you have a lousy leader, you will wish to quit and find another job as soon as possible.
3. Team Dynamics
Are your workplace systems and processes structured to promote collaboration and teamwork? If not, there’s a big chance your team’s morale and productivity will take a dip somewhere down the line.
If you ask some of the most successful companies, they’ll tell you just how much promoting teamwork means when it comes to hitting targets and promoting business growth. Besides promoting performance and motivation in the workplace, among the benefits of teamwork include:
- Promoting healthier relationships between
- Enhancing creativity and innovation
- Building trust amongst employees and their superiors
- Teamwork creates learning opportunities
- Promoting mentorship
As mentioned in this article, “great teams don’t happen as a matter of chance.” It is true that some people may struggle to fit in a team because everyone has a different personality and some may suffer confidence issues. But that doesn’t mean teamwork isn’t important.
Here’s an African quote you should keep in mind:
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
4. Employee Recognition and Appreciation
Research has it that employees are more likely to perform better at work if their efforts are recognized and appreciated. Especially if there’s a reward system in place for stellar performance, most employees are ready to step out of their comfort zones at work.
Some of the common rewards used by organizations to appreciate and reward high-performing employees include:
- Appreciation gifts
- Offering time off
- Job promotion
- Salary raises
- Team building and holiday gatherings
- Fun awards
- Travel experiences paid for by the company
You see, people love acknowledgment and recognition. Think about it, if you work hard for a company, but at the end of the day, your effort is not appreciated, how would you feel? Not good, right? This is why having the right reward system is important in the workplace.
When employees are properly rewarded, they will look for ways to contribute more. According to statistics, 39% of employees feel underappreciated at work, with 77% reporting that they would work harder if they felt better recognized.
And do you also know that lack of appreciation is one of the major reasons for leaving? So, if you want to increase workplace motivation and morale, set up the right reward system and show appreciation for others in the workplace.
5. Resources and Equipment
Last but not least, nothing can be more intimidating than a workplace without adequate resources, equipment, and support from the management
If the systems keep crashing, the software is outdated, or the tools are wanting, the workplace can easily turn into a place of frustration, stress, and chaos. Most employees also tend to feel more satisfied working a job that provides them with learning opportunities to help steer their careers forward.
Imagine you just bought a gym membership, but the gym is old, the equipment is outdated, and most of the workout tools are faulty. Do you think you will want to work out in such a gym? It will definitely affect your mood and de-motivate your plan to get fit.
When a company provides the right tools and equipment in the workplace, it helps make the job easier, and more efficient, and the overall productivity in the office will increase.
Conclusion
Workplace morale and productivity can make or break the success of any business organization. With the above pointers in mind, it becomes easier to detect any productivity issues and even take measures to boost workplace morale for the overall betterment of your performance in business.
