It’s no surprise that the ability to increase employee confidence leads to increased work ethic and productivity. Since the height of the global pandemic where some employees were having to work from home, on furlough, or made redundant, changed the dynamic of day to day working in the office. A lot of people have now gotten used to working from home and quite frankly coming back to the office seems discouraging. However, this can be changed through boosting employee’s morale.
Coming back to the office in a time like this can increase worries amongst employees, as the fear of catching covid-19 can cause health and safety concerns. It is paramount you prioritise health and safety more than ever in the office now, enforcing regular routine sanitation, PPE, social distancing and covid-19 testing. If anyone tests positive for covid-19 in the office you must enforce the correct 14-day self-isolation rules for all staff members.
Appraisal
Working from home may have had employees feeling disconnected from their company and may have been feeling like their efforts have not been acknowledged or appreciated. Appraisal can help increase productivity and work ethic.
Appraisal can be done through giving employees positive reviews; if a particular department is praised for its efforts, be sure to mention said employees that have delivered good customer service/efforts. If your company has reviews on platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn, it would be a great way to give shoutouts to employees and notify any employee that has been mentioned in the reviews.
Managing Stress Programme
Managing employee stress levels creates a better work atmosphere and happy employees. Due to the impact of the Covid-19, many people have faced an array of stress impacting their mental health and performance. Having a safe space where employees can talk about their problems and can help them work through/manage them, would help them feel appreciated and optimistic about their situation changing in the future. It would also make them feel supported by their company.
Increase Employee Benefits
An employee benefit or ‘perk’ will definitely help increasing productivity, who doesn’t love a perk?! Employee benefits are one way to build the bond between you and your employees, as you can support their hobbies or interests. This could be provided in the form of discounts, gym memberships, social events, healthcare or finances.
It’s important to think about the current benefits you offer your employees and what would be in their best interest. Maybe changing or adjusting some of your current benefits to appeal to everyone would be most ideal.
Career Growth
While employees get back into the routine of coming into the office after being used to working from home, why not try to motivate employees to climb the ladder and focus on their career growth.
As an employer it’s important to make sure employees know what systems/opportunities are in place for them to progress. Getting staff to create development plans where they can assess their strengths and weaknesses, can be improved through ongoing staff training for them to perfect their skills. Let your employees know the skills and successes they need in order to get promoted so they can work towards that goal and increase their morale.
Adaptation
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced all of us to adapt to ‘the new normal’, we have all had to adjust our way of life which has been more difficult for others. Just as such, employers must also learn to adapt and grow with the new normal that is in place. You should understand that some employees are now more comfortable with working at home therefore, introducing work from home days can help employees and also the office health and safety. Additionally, taking feedback from staff and managers on improvements or new procedures to implement can make a difference in the work atmosphere and how productive employees are.
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