“One-off pizza parties are not the ticket to good morale—but regularly communicating with your team, actively responding to feedback, and recognizing accomplishments will go a long way.” 
Ashley Fidel, The Muse 

How many of us have endured a sad, awkward pizza party in a manager’s (well-meaning but ineffective) bid of boosting morale? I have participated in dozens, particularly in my retail days, where managers gave themselves a pat on the back for valuing ‘team spirit’, all the while overworking their employees and ignoring feedback. While pizza is good, it’s not that good. 

Perhaps you’ve noticed some low morale in your workplace. This might look like a dip in productivity, lack of motivation or enthusiasm, or taking a few more sick days than normal. According to Connect Team, low morale is typically caused by an absence of one or more of these five things: 

• Growth 
• Clarity 
• Leadership 
• Meaning 
• Consistency in leadership

So what can we do to improve the office attitude? Let me give you four keys to manifesting morale.  

1. Encourage feedback, and do something with it 

A global study run by Workplace Intelligence and UKG found that “86% of employees feel that people at their organisation are not heard fairly or equally.” By this, they mean that certain groups were being heard while others were being ignored.  

A great way to collect feedback is with a Pulse Survey. This allows employers to collect valuable data from all employees. Another one you may consider is an Exit Interview through Vetting.com, so you can understand why an employee is leaving the company.  

The most important aspect is to go beyond simply listening to feedback to acting on it. Making changes based on employee feedback validates your workers’ voice and point of view, making them feel valued.  

2. Create an attractive space 

I’m talking lighting, plants, and snacks. Did you know that CFL’s (compact fluorescent light bulbs), commonly used in office buildings, trigger a physiological stress response leading to migraines and eye strain? Get rid of the harsh downlights and replace them with warm, yellow lights – your employees will thank you.  

While fluorescent lights trigger a physical stress response, plant life does the opposite! The presence of green plants generates a relaxation response, lowering stress levels and even increasing productivity. Science Daily says, “enriching a ‘lean’ office with plants could increase productivity by 15%.” 

Now for my personal favourite: snacks. At Google HQ in Sydney, they have a motto that no employee should be more than 30 meters from food, so they’ve installed fully stocked kitchenettes throughout their offices, in addition to their many in-house cafes. Connect Team recommends encouraging employees to leave their desks for 5mins every hour – sounds like a perfect snack break to me.  

3. Prioritise play 

I realise I’m venturing back into pizza party territory here, but hear me out. I’m not talking about a trite effort where people are forced to participate – I mean collaborating with your team, deciding together what you’d like to do. Maybe it’s a paintball competition (beware bosses, you might get taken down), or an online gaming session with remote workers. These will encourage genuine conversations within your team that aren’t about work – and those are the key bonding moments. A happy team = high morale. 

4. Focus on people 

Your workers are people; ambitious, emotional, and working hard for you. Make it worth it. Recognise their achievements (publicly) and celebrate their personalities. Show them you care by asking them to collaborate on projects they’re passionate about and building their professional skills. If appropriate, ask them their career goals, where their current role fits in, and how it can take them further.  

So there you are. Four simple keys to boosting your employees’ morale in the workplace. Now go and try them out! 

Written by Mary Snowden.