Low cost ways to improve employee morale at your small business

Employees, who work for small businesses, often refer to the other employees in the business, as their "work family". But just like traditional families, "work families" can have their share of ups and downs. Small business owners need to be aware of the level of employee morale, no matter how large or small, their staff it. Morale problems can become a significant deterrent to productivity that small businesses can not withstand. While a workplace with high morale is crucial to any business, it may be even more essential to a small business. If your small business is staffed with employees, who have low morale, it can do serious damage to your company, and ultimately bring about its demise.

It is important to understand that the basic causes of low morale can include but are not limited to: issues with job security, poor management, limited advancement opportunities, excessive amounts of outsourcing and a feeling of being paid unfairly, along with many other issues. In order to boost employee morale, it is crucial that small business owners take a multi-faceted approach. Diversifying how you approach employee morals and motivate your staff will have the best chance of being successful. However, the main objection that many small business owners have is that they cannot afford to put programs into place that will boost their employee's morale, while the bottom line is you simply cannot afford not to.

If you have low employee morale, it can affect every function of your business. This in turn leads to a decrease in productivity, less profits coming in, and a costly high turnover among your staff. Studies have shown that those small businesses with low employee morale had a significantly higher chance of failing their then higher employee morale competitors. The good news is that there are several low costs ways that you can use to boost employee morale. The key to being successful with then is to continue with these ideas once they are implemented. This lets your staff know that you are value them and want them to be satisfied within their jobs. Here are some low cost ways to improve employee morale at your small business-

• Be open to staff ideas-It has been shown that employee morale is significantly higher in those companies that have an open door policy. When employees know that their ideas will be welcomed, they in turn feel valued. This is especially true when their ideas are implemented as well.


• Publicly recognize top achievers-Whether you keep a scoreboard in a public place, or make announcements about top performers, employees will feel that their efforts are being recognized.


• Send out thank you notes-Despite what modern society would have you believe, the old fashioned thank you note has not gone out of style. Whether you write a handwritten note, or send a quick email, sending a thank you can go along way toward improving employee morale.


• Have some fun-While it can cost to have an employee picnic, or night at the movies, the payoffs can be big. Remember that your employees will even appreciate the small gestures such as a catered lunch, for a job well done.


• Get involved with a local charity-Many companies are offering a paid day off, to allow their staff to give back to their community. These companies often report that employee morale is much higher, when their staff is allowed to do this.


• Add some perks to the work life-There are a number of ways to make life at the office a little better. Low costs perks that allow employees to take a break and work off some steam, can also help promote better employee morale. Consider a Foosball table in the lunch room, discount gym passes or putting in a walking path around the office.