Tips for improving morale at your small business

Working at a small business can provide an interesting dynamic for your employees. Many business owners find that their employees bond quickly and often develop more family like relationships rather then employee ones. However, this can have both advantages and disadvantages. This makes it very important that small business owners are aware of employee morale and what level it is at. Savvy business owners understand that their workforce is their most valuable asset and this is especially true for small business owners. The bottom line is that the level of employee morale can have a dramatic effect on your small business. Here are some tips for improving morale at your small business-

- Understand that employee morale can be affected by many different factors-Small business owners need to understand that employee morale can be affected by many different factors. You should never assume that you know the reason that employee morale is low at your small business. Your employees may be concerned about their job security, dealings with management, have feelings of limited opportunities, be worried about outsourcing, simply feel overworked and underpaid or some other issue. You will need take the time to figure out what the real issue is behind the low morale that is going on.
- Understand that there is no "one size fits all" approach to improving employee morale-Many small business owners make the mistake of thinking that there is a one size fits all approach to improving employee morale. This is not usually the case. You will need to have a clear understanding of what will motivate your employees and know that they need. You should never assume that something that worked for one small business will automatically work at yours.In addition, it is also important to keep in mind that most often low employee morale can take awhile to fix.
- Understand the impact that low employee morale can have on your small business-Some small business owners make the mistake of thinking that the problem of low employee morale will simply just blow over. They assume that if they ignore it, it will go away. This is not a productive approach to take. If you want your small business to be effective you will need to be proactive about fixing low employee morale. Keep in mind that every aspect of your small business can be seriously affected by low employee morale. Low employee morale can be directly responsible for low productivity and profitability. Even worse low employee morale can bring on a high turnover which is a cost every small business needs to avoid. Finally, it is critical to understand that if low employee morale is simply ignored and continues on it can ultimately damage your small business beyond repair.
- Understand that it doesn't take a lot of money to improve employee morale at your small business-Many times small business owners believe that it will cost them a great deal of money to improve the employee morale in their company. The good news is that there is a lot of low cost ways that you can do this. However, it should be noted that once you implement a method to improve employee morale you should stick with it. Simply using something once and then assuming everything is ok will not provide an effective solution for the employee morale problem. Some of the low cost ideas that you can use to improve employee morale include but are not limited to: having an open door policy, recognizing your top employees, adding some fun in to the workday, and offering some perks such as: exercise rooms, discount gym passes, or monthly recognition lunches.