When employees feel good about coming to work, it creates a ripple effect that spreads through the entire company. High morale improves everything from productivity and job satisfaction to company culture and employee engagement. In other words, it’s worth investing in. You don’t need to build a gym or hire an executive chef — small initiatives can be big morale boosters.
1. Volunteer as a team
In a 2022 Gartner survey, 56% of employees reported that they wanted to make bigger contributions to society. As an employer, you can fill that need by hosting quarterly team volunteer days to help a local educational or charitable organization. You might staff a holiday food drive for the local food bank, for example, or work with an environmental group to clean up a park. Your employees will enjoy the change of pace, and everyone will leave feeling great about the day’s work.
To increase buy-in, ask employees to choose their favorite community groups. A personal connection makes volunteering more meaningful.
2. Be transparent
Transparency reassures your employees that they’re working for an ethical company. Be open about every aspect of the business, including salaries, revenue, charitable contributions, and social and environmental practices. Make the information available on the company website, or host town hall meetings to update the team.
Eliminating secrecy builds trust with your team, which has an instant effect on morale. It also helps employees understand how their efforts are positively impacting the company, the community, and the environment.
3. Insist on lunch breaks
Do your employees tend to work through lunch? Encourage them to take true lunch breaks. Just 30 minutes away from the computer provides time for workers to rest their bodies and brains. That way, they can return feeling refreshed.
To reassure employees that it’s all right to disconnect, ask leaders and managers to take lunch breaks too. More importantly, don’t disturb team members while they’re on break.
If you want to go above and beyond, offering lunch is a perk that can positively impact your company. Our Lunch Report found that free lunch acts as motivation for workers to come back into the office. In fact, of the 1,000 workers interviewed, 65% said that they were willing to plan their in-person office visits based on whether or not complimentary catered lunch is being offered that day.
4. Hold themed dress-up days
Host theme days and encourage the entire workforce to dress accordingly; it’s a fun, silly way to add levity to an ordinary week. Plus, when your VP of Operations shows up in parachute pants and vintage Nike sneakers, it creates a memory the team can talk about for years.
Need ideas? Plan an 80s or 90s day, or ask workers to dress up as their favorite movie character. To keep it simple, ask everyone to wear a hat, ugly sweater, or interesting socks.
5. Make birthdays a paid holiday
Show employees you care about them as people by offering a paid birthday holiday. Let employees choose when to take the day — they can enjoy a midweek break or a long weekend. The extra day of PTO won’t make or break the bottom line, and your team will look forward to the special treat all year.
6. Create a wellness program
Invest in your employees’ health with a company-wide wellness program. Offer free or discounted gym memberships, for example, or host fitness classes in the office. Or, create an active work environment by investing in treadmill or bike desks. Exercise releases stress and increases endorphins, which can do wonders for employees’ mental health.
Are your employees competitive? Turn your wellness program into a game. Award one point for every minute of physical activity and create a digital leaderboard to showcase the results. Keep everyone engaged by offering prizes for specific milestones.
7. Host a lunch and learn series
Bring in guest speakers to host weekly or monthly lunch and learn presentations. Invite a local accountant to talk about saving money at tax time, or hire a business coach to discuss ways to network more effectively. Want to strengthen internal bonds? Ask an employee to discuss a big upcoming project or provide a quick training session for an exciting new technology. You might also host a member of the C-suite for a Q&A session. These short, informal gatherings are a low-pressure way to reinforce relationships and develop your workforce. Add extra value by providing catered boxed lunches.
8. Increase executive access
When was the last time your CEO dropped by the production floor or chatted with employees? If it’s been a while, ask company leaders to be more visible. They can ask questions, get to know employees, and encourage workers to share ideas. Not only will you break down barriers, you’ll let employees know they’re more than a cog in the wheel — company leaders see their efforts and recognize the value they bring to the organization.
9. Create special projects
Ask your employees about the skills or interests they aren’t using at work. Then, find ways to incorporate those skills into a special project. If one of your coders has improv theater experience, they might enjoy giving a client presentation or hosting icebreakers at the next company retreat. If one of your writers is skilled in web development, ask them to contribute to a new website project.
Special projects bring variety and excitement to employees’ routines. By allowing them to combine their strengths, you can help team members feel confident and capable.
10. Put a cap on office hours
When you’re in search of morale boosters at work, start by limiting work hours. The occasional late night is fine, but as a rule, your team should be out the door by close of business. A company culture that values work-life balance allows employees to develop their personal lives without worrying that they’ll compromise their careers.
As always, it’s important to lead by example. If executives are staying late, employees will feel pressured to follow suit.
Morale boosters are an easy, affordable way to care for your employees as people and professionals. By choosing ideas that resonate with workers and fit into operations, you can create a sustainable program that has a lasting effect.
One way to build morale is by providing catered meals on a more regular basis. See how ezCater can help with your company-wide catering needs.