7 Morale Boosters for Your Team Working From Home in 2020

Now that we’re three months into our work from home routine, you may be starting to feel pandemic burnout. It can be difficult to stay motivated and avoid burnout while working from home in isolation.

You may have noticed some of your teammates are in the same boat, with the endless zoom calls, and email threads. So, how do you boost team morale? Your workspace is already customized for your comfort and designed for productivity, but what more can you do to energize both yourself and your team? 

How can we keep our team's energy and enthusiasm levels up while everyone's working from home? Keep reading to find out! Here are 7 simple ways to boost team morale while working from home.

First Of All, What Is Team Morale? 

Team morale (or staff morale) is the overall viewpoint and general feeling of the employees in a group or workplace as a whole. It’s the pulse of the company. All the emotions, attitudes, and outlooks experienced and expressed by employees make-up team morale.

High team morale results in positive attitudes, motivated workers, and productive teamwork. While low morale often results in half-hearted work, tired employees, and group conflict. 

High morale equals happier, more productive, and motivated staff. 

Why Is Team Morale Important in An Office Setting? 

According to Forbes, team morale is crucial to the success of every business. Employees keep the company running, and positive workers are more likely to meet and exceed expectations. When morale is high, your business will flourish. Staff who are happy to be there and will put in their best work. 

The opposite is true of teams with low morale. The attitudes of unmotivated or dissatisfied staff carry over into their work, resulting in subpar results, low productivity, and a higher turnover rate.

This comparison chart demonstrates the importance of employee morale in the workplace.

In short--checking your team’s morale is vital to the health of your business! It is important to do regular temperature checks, to determine the morale of your group. Is it time to take action? 

What Causes Low Morale?

You might have recognized your team has low morale. But what are the causes? 

Here are the top causes of low team morale, according to Chron.

• Unclear or changing goals: when the team is not unified on working towards a clear goal, they might feel uncertain of what to do next, causing them to lose motivation. 
• Misunderstood expectations: if expectations are not clarified, employees may become confused and frustrated with their jobs. With concrete expectations, employees will know exactly what needs to be done.
• Wasted potential: some workers may become jaded in their position because their talents aren’t being maximized or acknowledged. 
• Lack of communication: when team members lack clear communication, they can end up on completely different pages. This may result in unnecessary conflict, frustration, and avoidable extra work. So what are some ways to improve workplace morale? 

1. Clear and Open Communication 

If you’re a team leader, it’s important to be transparent with your team members. Make sure you check in with them to streamline your team goals. Be receptive to feedback they may have, especially since their experiences can help to strengthen your project. 

Use apps like slack, for consistent communication throughout the workday. To boost morale in an office setting with your team #WFH, try scheduling weekly check-ins to keep the dialogue going! 

2. Give Honest Feedback

Your words carry weight--make sure you use them wisely!

Thoughtful words are a sign of a good leader. Be genuine with the feedback that you give your employees, whether it’s praise or constructive criticism. Your honesty ensures that employees won’t hesitate to approach you with any issues, as you’ve proven yourself to be unbiased and professional. This builds a strong working relationship. 

Your team will appreciate you for your honest opinions, and come to you for guidance.

3.  Express Gratitude

In boosting team morale, it’s important that your team knows their efforts are being appreciated! Having your hard work acknowledged is good motivation to keep it up. In addition to praising them for a job well done, give them a shout-out on company memos or social media posts.

Thank them for all their hard work and dedication! To learn more, here is a list of 101 Creative Employee Recognition Awards - fun ways to boost team morale for your employees. 

4. Create Incentives At Work

As some companies return back to a physical work environment, consider incentives to boost morale in the office. You don’t necessarily have to hand out monetary incentives (though it’s one way to do it)! 

Know your audience: what do your team members like and appreciate?

Try setting up a coffee bar, or getting a foosball table, organize a bring your pet to work day. Everyone loves pretzel day at the office! Get creative with the incentives you offer. 

Still working from home? Have lunch delivered to your team, a great way to support small businesses within the community and boost team morale! Host a virtual happy hour after work, with deliveries from instacart. 

Looking to gift your team with a new sit-stand desk to boost productivity? Check out our corporate deals! 

5. Nurture Employee Relationships 

Your team members don’t have to be your Saturday brunch buddies, but it’s still important to get to know them on a personal level. Strike a balance between a professional and personal relationship, form a “work family” to boost morale. 

Simple things like writing a birthday card show that you care for them on a personal level. Relationships between employees are crucial to morale. Take steps to resolve any conflicts, and ensure all parties feel heard, work together to move forward. 

6. Team Bonding 

Whether over video conferences or in-person, team bonding is a great way to build morale in the workplace. This could be in the form of a birthday celebration, a virtual quiz night, or a team outing.

You know your team best, so find something you know everyone would all enjoy! 

Having time for employees to gather, without the pressure of work, gives them the opportunity to bond as friends as well as coworkers. They will take these bonds into their next project--who doesn’t enjoy working with a friend they like and are comfortable with?

7. Give employees a break

Finally, sometimes the best way to boost team morale is to give them a break. Make sure you recognize signs of burnout in your team members and know when to give them a day off. 

Some time off from work will allow them to mentally reset and refresh for the task ahead, so they’ll be able to come back with renewed focus and energy for the task ahead. Mental health is as important as physical health, make sure you check in on your team! 

Remember: even you, as a team leader, can’t keep running if your gas tank is empty. Stop to fill it up every so often! 

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”

 – Henry Ford

High team morale is at the core of every successful business.

Create space for open communication and honest feedback. Express gratitude to your team members on a job well done. Make time for team bonding to nurture employee relationships. Last but not least, give employees a break for their mental health! Happy employees result in a higher retention rate, increased productivity, and can boost creativity. 

Looking for another way to boost productivity while working from home? EFFYDESK is here to help! 

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To learn more about EFFYDESK’s products and services, be sure to check out our FAQ page or browse the blog archive for other helpful articles on ergonomics in the workplace.