Editor's Note

Across the United States, company morale is down. According to the article, “Americans’ Job Satisfaction Falls to Record Low,” only 45% of workers are satisfied with their work. This is the lowest number recorded in 22 years! The article goes on to theorize that workers are unhappy not just because we are living through the worst recession since the 1930s, but because fewer workers consider their jobs interesting, incomes have not kept up with inflation, and the soaring cost of health insurance has eaten into workers’ take-home pay. 

While I may not be able to solve those three issues in this editorial, I may be able to offer some suggestions to improve employee morale. This month is Employee Spirit Month. The purpose of Employee Spirit Month is to create positive energy around the office and boost employee morale. Based on the article mentioned above, it sounds like this is something every company should attempt to do!

While spirit may be way down, there are ways to boost it back up. Employees want to feel appreciated, so look for ways to do that. For instance, recently our department managers brought in breakfast for their employees for one week. A lot of us either skip breakfast or bring it into the office, so it was a welcomed treat!

Another suggestion is to take some employee recognition money and spread it out over the year by offering small treats to your employees. For example, surprise your employees with smoothies one afternoon and ice cream sundaes another. It’s these little surprises that help keep an environment from growing stale.

Some other suggestions: allow employees to go home early on Fridays during the summer, bring their children in one day, dress casually on Fridays, or enjoy a picnic lunch during a nice-weather day.

The key is to spice things up! Most of us spend more of our waking hours at work than at home. It’s important for companies to realize this. Make your place of work a place your employees want to spend a majority of their time. Make the environment fun, lighthearted and positive. When all these ideas come together, I think you’ll be surprised by the positive output.

Christy Wolf

Editor

What would you like to see your company do to help boost morale?