10 Low-Cost Ideas for Building Morale

We’re more than a year into the worst recession in decades. Across the country employers have eliminated jobs, reduced pay and suspended 401(k) benefits. Studies tell us that employees are less engaged and less committed than they were a year ago. Watson-Wyatt’s 2009/2010 U.S. Strategic Rewards Survey reports that engagement is down 9%. What can you do to improve morale with a limited budget?

There are small, cost-effective steps you can take to improve morale and begin to rebuild engagement. Make time for the little things and take advantage of opportunities to recognize employees’ contributions and to offer opportunities for increased responsibility that allow employees to build their skill sets.

Over the past few years, I’ve collected ideas for cost-effective ways to recognize employees and build morale. Below is my “top ten” list. If you have a favorite low-cost morale-building tip, I’d love to hear from you.

1. Give your time. Employees appreciate one-on-one time with managers. Schedule individual meetings and ask employees what they like about their jobs or about working for the company. Ask for ideas to improve customer service. Ask about skills they’d like to learn. Just be prepared to act on (or respond to) any recommendations or requests that you may get.
2. Give employees responsibilities. Provide opportunities for employees to develop new skills. Ask longer-service employees or those with industry experience to train employees who are new to your company or your industry—they’ll build coaching skills. Rotate the responsibility for planning an event or meeting among employees so that they have an opportunity to use their organizational skills.  Ask supervisory employees to plan and chair your staff meetings.
3. Have fun. Create a fun award that can be passed from employee to employee on a monthly basis. Consider recognizing the best customer service, surviving a difficult customer, the longest time without an accident, biggest new/renewed account, etc. Use a creative/silly item for the award such as a funny hat, a rubber chicken or a stuffed animal.
4. Take a look around the office. Who’s there every day and on time, does his/her job accurately and efficiently and works well with others but hasn’t been recognized with your regular company awards? Be sure you thank and recognize those employees.
5. “Do lunch” with a manager. When a regional or corporate manager visits your location, schedule a lunch with employees—a small group lunch (ask for volunteers) or an all-employee lunch. The regional/corporate manager can get to know your employees and answer any questions the employees may have about the company and the industry.
6. Park the car. If parking’s an issue at your location, draw names to see who gets the prime parking spot each week/month. If you have executive parking, draw names to see who gets the boss’s spot when she’s out of the office for the day.
7. Use the phone. At the end of each day, think about the employees on your team who did a great job that day. After they’ve left for the day, call their work phones and leave messages, thanking them individually for what they did. When they arrive at work the next morning and check their voice mail, yours will be the first message they get—what a great way to start the day.
8. Write a note. When someone does a good job, send a handwritten thank you note. Consider sending it to the employee’s family so they know what a great job their parent or spouse is doing.
9. Serve the community. Ask employees to pick a community service project (or one every few months) that they can plan for and participate in as a group. You’ll build camaraderie and pride in the company.
10. Walk the floor. Take time each week to walk around the office and speak to employees. Make sure to visit each shift. By getting to know employees personally, you build a relationship with them and they are more comfortable sharing ideas with you.

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