Ideas for Keeping Employees Engaged and Morale Up

Happy Employees

It has been a stressful couple of weeks, we know. We all have felt that. Now you are wanting to keep your employees engaged. Whether you are working remotely or are back in the office, it can be tough to create a positive environment for your employees among the negativity and worry that is happening right now. We wanted to share a few ideas we had and hope that they can help you too.

  1. Have an in office or virtual happy hour. Using this time to bring your employees together is important, no matter what is going on. But when times are hard it is especially important to try and raise spirits. Have your staff get together before they leave on a Friday simply to chat and socialize a little. Bring in some drinks and just all hang out in the office. No reason to make it a big deal. Keep it relaxed and casual. Have people working remotely? Do it over video conferencing! It is just as fun and keeps everyone feeling connected.
  2. Have a fun themed day. Remember the days in school that were dress up days? Think of this kind of like that. Let people wear jeans on Friday. No meetings? Allow for a p.j. day in the office. Keep the office light and fun if you can. When the world is stressful outside, bringing some fun to the day-to-day to help keep everyone’s cheerful is meaningful. Maybe dressing up doesn’t work for your office. That’s fine. Have a popcorn Tuesday or a sweet treat Thursday where people bring in some of their favorite snacks. How about a movie or games during lunch? Things like this are easy to do and can really help lift the keep a positive environment during hard times.
  3. Listen to Employee’s Concerns. Sometimes it is easy to get tired of hearing about the same thing over and over. But it is important to listen to your employees. Each have their own perspective, living situation and family life that is not the same as yours or anyone else’s. It is imperative to make sure you are doing your best to listening to their needs. One employee may have no problem getting to the office after a hurricane, but another may need to work from home for some reason. Be open with your employees and have those conversations. Provide opportunities for them to come to you and express their concerns. This will not only make them feel better in the short-term, but in the long-term they will know that you have their best interest at heart.

We hope that you use this just a jumping off point and come up with fun and unique ideas. Have ideas you would like to share with fellow business owners? Let us know by visiting our social media pages!

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Jennifer Devine

I'm an experienced finance professional with more than 20 years of experience. I've held several Controller positions throughout my career, most notably with an internationally respected commercial real estate investment, management, and brokerage firm. In this role, I was responsible for all aspects of accounting across the company's many operational divisions - including internet services, real estate development, property management, and brokerage services. As our company operated in multiple countries and currencies, it was essential to me that all financial reports were accurate and compliant.