Boosting Company Morale Can Have a Positive Effect on the Bottom Line

The recession can impact your business in various ways, including a decrease in clients or customers, slowing of new business development, numerous budget cuts and for many companies a heavy focus on the bottom line. Yet, perhaps there is nothing more damaging to a business than poor morale.

Chances are, you've seen it take many forms - burn out, negative attitudes, internal fighting, and the list goes on. But the result is always the same. Poor morale has a negative impact on productivity which will hurt your business' bottom line.

In today's increasingly competitive environment, here are a few things to keep in mind to help you succeed in boosting your business' morale and keeping productivity to a maximum:

It starts at the top

Remember that your attitude has a big impact on your team. Set the example with a positive attitude and role model behaviors and expectations you want to be emulated.

Avoid burn out

It’s a good idea to introduce fresh ideas, encourage innovation and encourage your employees and teammates to get involved in projects in which they show interest.

Appreciation

Your employees and coworkers want to feel appreciated. Often, a little “thank you” makes a big difference. When offering praise, make sure it is timely and genuine.

Make it fun

Ultimately, employees thrive and find real enjoyment when their emotional and intellectual needs are met. This includes feeling challenged, being able to put skills to good use, being recognized and appreciated and being trusted with responsibilities.


What strategies and techniques have you found to boost internal morale? With the economy in turmoil and headlines constantly voicing layoffs and a recession, is there anything executives can do to lighten the mood in the office without seeming inconsiderate?

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This post was written by Heidi Armstrong, an account director at Thorp & Company, specializing in issues management. Heidi has had a fast-track career with many opportunities to influence public opinion on a national basis. She has experience working with campaign-style public relations efforts that successfully target key opinion leaders and the general public through political response, the media and community outreach. She has helped organizations, businesses and high-profile individuals deal positively with very complex, volatile issues.