How to improve company morale

What can you do to help your team?

Are you a business owner, team leader, or manager who has been struggling to help your employees feel happy at work? Is morale on the team low, and you’re struggling with ideas on how best to switch things up to change the atmosphere in the workplace to a positive one, where employees are comfortable, genuinely glad to be there, and where they feel valued? Here are a few ideas that could help you understand how to improve company morale within your organization.

An illustration of three men in an office, two of whom are sitting at a desk with blank expressions on their faces, and one standing with his hands in his pockets.

Schedule regular, recurring, optional “fun” events.

If you survey your employees, and they have nothing but meetings on their calendars, this can quickly cause burnout, especially if your team is mostly remote and working from home. Staying behind a computer screen for 8 hours (or more) each day can be taxing – and you should allow your team to have time to get to know each other better (outside of the one icebreaker meeting or game you schedule when the team meets someone new). One hour every couple of Fridays or even every month for online games like Codenames, Skribbl.io, or even Jackbox games can really lift spirits, and allow your team members to get to know each other a little better. It’s important to mention that these events should be optional. Sometimes, your team members may not be in the mood to socialize – and that’s okay. They may have a lot on their plate and may feel that playing a game for an hour will cut into their time to finish a project. Let them choose whether they want to attend – and ensure there will always be opportunities for them to join at another time.

An AI-generated illustration of six workers all laughing in unison, sitting at a table with papers scattered about.

Check in with your employees on an individual level.

This might sound easy in theory, but are you actually doing it?
Are your employees regularly reaching out to you to let you know if they have something going on, or asking you for help or advice with something they might be struggling with?
If you answered “no”, ask yourself why this might be. Do you regularly make yourself available to your subordinates and let them know that your “door” is open to them if they need to talk? Do you have regularly occurring one-on-one meetings with your employees just to check in on them (and not just to ask how their work is coming?) Every People Leader or Manager should ensure that their team members can approach them for any issue – big or small. If an employee of yours fell ill and was offline or out of the office for a day, how long would it take for you to notice?

A vector illustration of six diverse professionals looking forward in a "Brady-Bunch" like square grid and smiling.

Curate a safe space for your employees.

Make sure that your team feels comfortable in the office/collaborating with colleagues by maintaining strict rules about your company’s policies. These should include, at bare minimum:

Anti-discrimination and harassment policy
Diversity and inclusion policy
Open communication policy
Workplace safety guidelines

By listing your company policies in a clear location (maybe the bulletin board in the kitchen, or if you’re digital, on the Canvas tool in your team’s Slack channel), you are empowering each individual to take responsibility to ensure they are following your company’s rules, and your employees should feel that they can safely and (if they choose, confidentially) report any misdeeds through an established reporting system, such as a specific email address that is only meant for concerns that would violate one of your existing policies. Maintain a work environment where everyone feels welcomed, and immediately take action if an employee threatens that environment in any capacity. Creating a safe working environment is key to improving company morale.

An illustration of a woman discussing something with a man, both sitting in dark armchairs opposite from the other.

Provide mental health and wellness resources.

If your company provides free access to any type of mental health programs, you can ensure your employees know how to take advantage of these programs and can easily access them if they choose to do so. Do you have digital materials available for your employees that they can access at any time should they need help? If you do not have a special program established within your company, do you have external links saved somewhere that could be shared with your employees on a moment’s notice if someone reached out to you in crisis? How prepared are you to point them in the right direction if you are the person they go to for help? Make sure you have a list of resources available and at the ready that you can provide at a moment’s notice.

An illustration of a man in a suit walking down an office hallway with a briefcase over his shoulder.

Time away from the screen

Do you allow your employees to take mindfulness breaks, where they can step away from the screen/work site and have some time to clear their head? If not, and if your company is structured to allow short breaks (10-20 minutes or so), this should be a regular part of their work day. You might even start a yoga club at your office that occurs during the lunch hour where employees can stretch and release their tension with a guided Yogi. Encouraging the use of wellness apps like Calm or Headspace is also another great method to help employees know they are cared for and their work is valued. Giving employees a chance to relax their mind and body in the middle of the work day is a fantastic way to show that you care.

What are some ways your company shows they care about employee morale? Did this article help you gather some ideas on how to improve company morale in your organization? Share in the comments below!