Leadership – Improve Employee Morale, Employee Retention And Productivity On A Shoestring Budget

Human resource managers, supervisors, business owners all have the leadership challenge of keeping their most valuable resource, their employees, happy and productive. Employee retention, and productivity can be directly linked to employee morale.

In just 30 days, you can make a remarkable difference in the morale of your employees. The strategy in this article is based on Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of five basic human needs. He arranged these needs in the shape of a pyramid with each level forming the foundation for the next level.

The bottom level of the pyramid shows the most basic need humans have, which is SURVIVAL. Level two of the pyramids represents the need people have for SECURITY. Most businesses provide for these two needs with a paycheck.

To attract and keep quality employees, you must do more. This is where the next three levels of Abraham Maslow’s pyramid enter the picture. They address what I call the “Fire-up” needs.

“FIRE UP” NEEDS

1. The first of the “Fire-up” needs is SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE. Employees need to feel accepted as a contributing member of a team. Employees need to have fun, as well as meaningful interaction with other coworkers. People feel less stressed and more tolerant of others when they lighten up and have fun together.

2. The next “Fire-up” need is for ESTEEM. Employees need the respect of their coworkers and supervisors. People need to feel that they are important and that they matter. This is reinforced with appreciation and recognition. There are many creative ways to reward, appreciate, and recognize people not only for their work, but also for their attitudes.

3. The third “”Fire-up” ” need is for SELF-ACTUALIZATION, which means continuing to learn and grow in personal development. Many companies only give training in work related skills. It is important to also offer personal development training.

You can be confident that any activity that meets either of the three “Fire-up” needs of social acceptance, esteem, and self-actualization will help raise employee morale.

How Often Should You Plan Activities

How often should you do employee morale activities? It depends on the structure of your workplace. Some activities can be done once a week, others monthly or quarterly.

Employee Spirit Teams

Setting up Employee Spirit Teams to help plan the activities will take the burden off of your shoulders, and at the same time encourage participation of all your employees. Getting buy-in from your employees is one of your leadership tasks, and forming Employee Spirit Teams is an easy way to do it.

Demonstrate your leadership ability by focusing on employee morale. Keep your best employees happy, and you will have loyal employees who feel appreciated and motivated to do their best work every day.