Inspiring Productivity in Your Workforce: How Great Managers Increase Company Morale

Recent reports have shown managers play a key role in enhancing employee engagement. Explore the ways great managers increase team morale --and productivity.

Inspiring and motivating employees to produce outstanding results in any business environment can be challenging on many levels. However, in today’s business climate of global competition, increased regulatory scrutiny, and shareholder demand for returns, it is absolutely essential.

A 2015 Gallup report on the State of the American Manager, revealed some eye opening statistics about the level of employee engagement:

• Only 30 percent of U.S. Employees, and thirteen percent worldwide, are engaged.
• In terms of employee engagement, managers account for 70 percent of all variances.
• Managers are typically responsible for their staff’s morale, quality of work and employee hiring and retention.

So how does a great manager inspire his or her employees?

Great managers create environments where employee morale is high.

When employee morale is high, employees:

• Miss less work because they want to come to work each day.
• Are comfortable with the type of work that they do.
• Enjoy working with their co-workers and have more positive relationships.
• Perform better and their production is generally higher
• Are willing to work together in teams toward common goals.

Managers can increase workplace morale in three simple ways.

1.      Check in with your Employee Teams Frequently.

Meet with employees at least 2 or 3 times a week. Let employees know of changes that affect the business, including new planned initiatives. Ask what issues or challenges they are facing and what you can do to help resolve them. Seek their opinions on matters that affect them. Solicit their ideas on department improvements or innovative ideas that can enhance company sales and/or productivity.

Communicating with your employees must be a mutual effort. Employees need to feel that what they have to say has value. It is what makes employees feel that they belong in a company.

 2.       Set the emotional tone of the workplace.

If you want your employees to be positive and self-confident, then you need to be positive and self-confident. Also, setting the tone for an encouraging setting includes creating an “open door policy”, being sure you are available to discuss interoffice issues that may arise.

Get to know your staff on a more personal level so they see you as a person and not just their boss. Exchanging information about interests and hobbies, and even trading apt jokes or scheduling casual company gatherings, can also strengthen morale.

If employees feel comfortable around you they will bounce ideas off you, take risks and share openly. Employees who feel as though their manager is invested in them as people are more likely to be engaged.

3.      Praise employees for a job well-done.

Employees love to feel proud of their accomplishments. Don’t miss a chance to acknowledge an employee who goes the extra mile in customer service, or comes up with an innovative idea to improve sales or reduce costs. Recognize that employee in a department meeting or on the company social media page.

Employees who feel appreciated tend to work harder and display a higher degree of company loyalty.

Great managers provide a clear vision of what is to be accomplished and how.

Managers should engage their employees with a compelling and tangible vision. It’s important to enthusiastically communicate a clear goal to your employees and be able to point out the benefits of getting there.

Managers can provide clear vision by:

1.      Communicating expectations

Give employees a structure by explaining the direction the department is headed in, and setting clear boundaries by articulating what the company is doing and how the department or unit fits into the big picture of the company’s goals. You need to be able to show your team what the vision looks like, the scope of the work to be done and the value of doing it.

When employees understand the end goal and the work that needs to be accomplished, they are more likely to take initiative and perform.

 2.      Ensuring people clearly understand and are prepared for their job

You need to properly highlight what your employees are responsible for and be sure they have the necessary skills to perform that job. They need more than written job descriptions to fully grasp their roles.

Managers should provide employees with the coaching, training and support to enable them to excel at their jobs. Frequently talk with employees about their responsibilities and progress and provide constructive feedback along with praise.

Employees that know their job and the importance of their role on the team will strive to learn and continuously improve and become more productive.

Great managers motivate their employees to exceed their expectations.

1.      Emphasize the importance of every employee on the team.

Salary is just one of many components that determine employee satisfaction with their job. Most people want to feel that their work has a purpose. No one wants to be just a number performing a task in the daily grind of work. More than anything, people aspire to be valued for their contributions and work performance, while knowing they are part of a responsive team.

 2.      Engage employees as equal team members. 

Ask for feedback and provide valued employees room for their own decision-making to assure that your workers are aware of their importance, and remain connected to your cause.

Employees who feel they are part of the team will take responsibility for their work and up their game.

In Conclusion.

What makes a truly great manager is the capacity to inspire productivity by creating environments of high employee morale, providing clear vision and motivating others to exceed expectations. This type of manager is one that will see results.

By Fred Coon, CEO

Stewart, Cooper & Coon, has helped thousands of decision makers and senior executives move up in their careers and achieve significantly improved financial packages within short time frames. Contact Fred Coon – 866-883-4200, Ext. 200