We are midst of the pandemic and half way through it, but there is a decline in employee morale. Maintaining employee morale is one of the biggest challenges bothering employers.

At the start of lockdowns, many companies made increasing employee morale a top priority. But as we wrap up the summer, the practice of working from home continues for many businesses, and there’s still no clear answer in sight for when this crisis will end.

What we believed to be a temporary adjustment has now become more a marathon of days This raises the question How can leaders keep morale high while physically separated?

According to a survey of 2,278 HR professionals by the Society for Human Resource Management. The organization reported 65% say maintaining employee morale has been a problem.

As the crisis continue into the next season, your workers may fall victim to low mood and motivation. Here are smart management techniques to fight employee disenchantment. To help you get started, here are a few tips to maintain a positive mood from afar.

Happy employees are more productive employees. Achieving high morale is only half the battle. The real challenge is figuring out how to maintain employee morale.

1. Encourage Feedback
   Transparency and openness are two contributing factors to positive change. You most likely provide your employees with ongoing feedback on their performance, so why not give them the opportunity to offer feedback as well?
   Open communication ensures your employees’ voices are heard and issues aren’t allowed to fester. It should reduce any underlying frustration from building. Encouraging feedback can also lead to potential breakthroughs because fresh ideas are continually flowing.

2. Make Employee Recognition a Habit
   The act of recognizing an employee’s hard work and contributions is simple. Yet it can have a profound impact on productivity and retention. Research from a Workforce Mood Tracker Survey found, 78 percent of U.S. workers said being recognized motivates them in their job, and 69 percent of employees would work harder if they were better recognized. So make it a habit of recognizing the accomplishments of your team and celebrating their successes.

3. Consider Flexible Scheduling
   There’s been a fundamental shift in the way most employees view their work-life balance. The overwhelming majority of millennials value flexible scheduling and many even demand it. Millennials have a new approach to workplace productivity and flexibility. This generation does not believe that productivity should be measured by the number of hours worked at the office but rather by the output of the work performed. Offering flexible scheduling options can have a tremendous impact on employee morale and make for a much happier team.

4. Offer Development Opportunities
   Hardly anyone wants to be stuck in a dead end job with zero opportunity for advancement. This is a recipe for low morale and high turnover. Ideally, practice internal promotion where dedicated employees can work their way up the company ladder. It’s also helpful to offer some type of training to facilitate professional development.

5. Create an Element of Play
   Everyone needs a bit of downtime to take their mind off of work and recharge their batteries. One way to facilitate this and maintain employee morale is to give your employees a chance to “play” during their breaks.
   It should be every employer’s objective to maintain employee morale. Doing so can have a host of benefits including increased productivity, lower turnover, and higher profitability, which all contribute to improving your overall bottom line.
6. Create an Element of Play
   Everyone needs a bit of downtime to take their mind off of work and recharge their batteries. One way to facilitate this and maintain employee morale is to give your employees a chance to “play” during their breaks.
   It should be every employer’s objective to maintain employee morale. Doing so can have a host of benefits including increased productivity, lower turnover, and higher profitability, which all contribute to improving your overall bottom line.

7. Keep Your Company Connected
   The shift to remote work can leave employees feeling isolated due to the lack of human interaction they would normally experience in-office. The best way to combat feelings of isolation and increase morale is by keeping employees connected. Make communication easy by setting up video conferencing and instant messaging platforms across your company.
   ⦁ Video Conferencing
   ⦁ Instant Messaging

At the end of the day, taking steps to boost employee morale will help all of your workers feel happier and more engaged with their work. Putting some of these ideas to work can help keep employee morale high, even during the most difficult times.

by- Vivek K, Associate Director, ADHOC Recruitment