It’s essential to keep your employees motivated especially during crunch time. The best way to do this is by boosting morale. This leads to increased productivity, efficiency, and a better quality of work. This is because positive morale leads employees to have the confidence to do their best.
Here are some of the most effective ways to boost morale during one of the most difficult times—crunch time.
Employee Recognition
The power of even the smallest amount of recognition does a lot to boost morale. When times are stressful, a small reward or bit of praise does a lot to give an employee the push they need to continue.
“Two methods of recognition that will motivate your sales team are incentives (like gift cards) and acknowledgment or praise. When your team does well, talk about it. Give compliments and thank them. Make sure they know that you genuinely care that they did well. It’s a simple gesture with a lot of power.” – COO Alliance
Everyone likes to be recognized for their hard work. It’s very motivating and motivation is a very powerful tool during crunch time.
Employee Feedback
When an employee feels like their troubles and stresses are being heard it makes it a lot easier for them to push through when times are difficult. When they know that, yes, things are difficult, but there is someone out there who is listening to them and wants to make things better, it feels very encouraging.
“Getting employee feedback is a great way to boost employee morale. When you show employees that you’re listening, they will feel heard and are far more likely to be motivated. But it isn’t enough just to collect feedback, you need to act on it as well.” – Connecteam
Even if it’s not feedback you can implement, thank the employee for it. Recognize that you are truly listening and always appreciate suggestions to make things better.
A Corporate Retreat
Obviously, it would be a terrible idea to go on a corporate retreat during crunch time, but having corporate retreats as part of your team-building exercises will help improve employee and employer relations. This will benefit you when crunch time does come around.
“The quality of relationships between the employer and employees, and among the employees themselves have a lot of impact on employee morale and how well they deliver. […] Company Retreats are one of the most essential tools used to cement relations among workers and between the employees and the employer.” – COO Alliance
Teamwork helps a company thrive, especially when things are getting intense around crunch time. With improved employee relations between each other and their employer, it helps with stronger, more effective communication especially through harder workdays.
Encourage Real Lunch Breaks
During crunch time a lunch break is sometimes the last thing people think about. It can seem so unimportant when there are piles of work to do and time is ticking by. No matter how much there is to do, it is essential for morale that both employees and employers make time for a lunch break.
“Research suggests that only one in five people take lunch breaks and that white-collar workers are least likely to step away from their desks for a break. Management professor Kimberly Elsbach told NPR that “staying inside, in the same location, is really detrimental to creative thinking.” – Inc.
During crunch time, it can be useful to bring lunch to your employees. When they’re busy, it can seem like a waste of time to go out and get something, but if lunch is brought to them it’s a lot harder to say no. All it takes is a breakroom, a table, and a sandwich platter.
There is always going to be a lot of work to do, but you can’t ignore employee morale for it. Boosting morale is the thing that’s going to get you and your employees through crunch time and get those piles of work done well.
If you have questions or would like more information, I’d be happy to help. Please send an email, and my team will get in touch with you!
