I am sending this blog post out since it accidentally was sent on Labor Day when many of you were not on your computer!  At least I hope you were enjoying your time away from work!  This post will introduce you to a guru in Boosting Morale in the Workplace and contains an audio interview and text on employee engagement which will reduce conflict in the workplace.  There are so many unique ideas for you to use.  These strategies have all been tested and the results are impressive.

Do you have friends or family members who just hate to go to work every day because they feel like they’re drowning in the turbulent seas of workplace negativity?

Well, Harriet Meyerson, founder of ConfidenceCenter.com,  shows supervisors and managers how to engage employees. In today’s interview Harriet is going to tell you three categories of morale boosters you must have to create a happy, positive workplace. And she is going to give you activities in each category that you can use to raise morale starting today… even if you have a shoestring budget.

Enjoy the Interview Below! 
Let me know what techniques you used after listening to Harriet to help reduce conflict in your workplace.

 

How to Get More Employee Morale Ideas?

Harriet invites all our listeners to visit her web and sign up for free employee morale boosters:

 1. Employee Morale Assessment so you can rate your company in 7 key areas.
2. List of the Top Ten Morale Boosters that you can start using today to create a positive atmosphere.
3. Weekly newsletter with creative employee morale activities to create your “Islands of Positivity.”
So go to ConfidenceCenter.com –
Enter your name and email into the sign up for our free morale boosters and you will be on your way to a happier, more positive

How did you get involved in helping companies improve employee morale?

Here’s my “in a nutshell” story about how I developed my system for improving employee morale.  I started out as a Teacher, and when I stopped teaching my husband, a doctor with a busy office and a large staff asked me to be his office manager. Here’s where I got a real understanding of the day-to-day challenges with employees.  Then, the “teacher” in me decided to take what worked for me and teach workshops, so I opened The Confidence Center to work with companies in my home town of Dallas, Texas, and later created our website where we work with companies around the world.

One day I got a call from the manager of a call center.  Jill, the manager, said, “We have about 100 employees, and morale is so bad here, and absenteeism is so high that we have to hire extra people because we anticipate a certain percentage of employees just won’t show up.” I told Jill, “I can come to your company and show you and your supervisors how to raise morale every day so that employees will look forward to coming to work.” And Jill said, “ But our company doesn’t have the budget for expensive morale boosting events, in fact, if anything cost over $50 we have to make a special requisition for it” and I replied, “Don’t worry, I can show you how to Fire Up Your Staff on a Shoestring Budget… and we scheduled a VIP day where I came to her company and met with her and her supervisors.

Within only 2 months miracles happened. Absenteeism was almost totally eliminated because employees were afraid that if they stayed home they would miss out on the fun. The company stopped hiring extra employees saving thousands of dollars. Employees stopped bickering and complaining as they learned to work together as a team.

What conflict do you see in the workplace that reduces employee morale?

Here’s 5 things that create a lot of negativity in the workplace.
1. Resentment – some employees are resentful of others who are not doing their share of the work.
2. Jealousy – for example, in healthcare, there can be jealousy from the front office staff of the nursing staff, who are generally paid a lot more and have more prestige.
3. Gossip – employees talking negatively about their coworkers
4. Bickering – some employees just don’t get along.
5. Complaining – some people will find just about anything to complain about.

These conflicts are some of the things that create the turbulent seas of negativity.

What strategies do you give to your clients on how to deal with workplace negativity?

There are many things you can do at your company with a little creativity, without spending a lot of time or money to create the positive atmosphere of cooperation and teamwork.  Here’s the secret…  You must create islands of positivity and they will form that safe harbor to keep the negativity out. It’s like creating a barrier reef.

By nature, people think negative thoughts when they don’t make the effort to think positive. Thinking of things that could possibly be bad, is part of the body’s natural way to be aware of danger – so that we can be ready to deal with it.

The good news is that the human brain can’t think both negative and positive at the same time, so when you add positive thoughts and activities, you take time away from negative thoughts. Positive thoughts, ideas, and activities become the islands of positivity in the workplace. The more “islands of positivity” you create, the more positive territory you add to your safe harbor, blocking the negative turbulence.

Employee Spirit Teams
One of the very best ways to get all the employees involved is to create Employee Spirit Teams, and that is what the call center did.  We showed the supervisors at the call center how to create the teams, and the teams took turns creating morale boosters for everyone. The results were amazing.

When I returned the next month, which was October, they had transformed their drab white and gray call center into a haunted house complete with cobwebs, ghosts, spiders, witches and goblins for Halloween. Jill said, “The employees were so excited, and they brought in their own decorations and worked together to create this amazing atmosphere.”  After that, every month they decorated for a different holiday or theme.  Jill then showed me the break room, The teams had posted their banners in there and were having a friendly competition to see which team could plan the most fun morale boosters.

Now, if you are not able to create Spirit Teams, don’t worry. You don’t have to create teams to have an effective morale boosting program. It’s just one of the many ways to get employees involved.  I had advised the supervisors to create morale boosters in 3 important categories.

What are the 3 categories of morale boosters that we should include?
The three categories are actually 3 basic human needs, and that is why they raise employee morale.

1. Social Acceptance – social interaction helps employees feel like they belong to a community.
2. Self-Esteem – is built at work with appreciation and recognition by managers and coworkers.
3. Self-Actualization – Personal and Professional Development helps employees become the best that they can be.

You need activities in all 3 of these areas, but the good news is that many activities overlap and cover more than one category. I’ll cover one category at a time and give you some specific activities you can use.

Employee Morale Category number 1. Social interaction
Social interaction is important because when employees have fun together, and get to know each other better, they work better together.

Here is an activity the call center did that any company could do.
Baby Picture Contest – Jill was so excited when she told me about this one because the employees thought of the idea and planned it themselves.  “They all brought in their baby pictures and posted them on the wall. All week long employees tried to guess who was who. Then, at the end of the week, they had a party and revealed the answers. They had so much fun, and everyone was energized.”

3 Minute Group Huddle – Everyone gathers together for morning inspiration of a poem or short motivating story – such as the Chicken Soup for the Soul stories. This makes everyone feel connected and creates a positive mindset to start the day.

Share Board – This is a large bulletin board put in a prominent place – maybe the break room or hall, where employees can post special things that are going on in their personal life – new baby, anniversary, vacation photos, kids and grand kids, etc.

Creative Casual Days – instead of just dressing in jeans on Fridays as some companies do, you have crazy hat day, ugly tie day, favorite vacation T-shirt day, etc. This doesn’t take a lot of time away from work, but sparks an opportunity for fun interaction among employees.

Lunchtime get-togethers – There are many things you can do at a lunchtime get together that carries out a theme, such as diversity featuring a different country each month, or talking about an event during the month such as National Nutrition Month, etc. That way conversation can be directed in a meaningful way.

There are hundreds of social activities you can do that create social interaction and help people feel part of a workplace community. These ideas are obviously not just for call centers, they work for any company from health care to engineering.

And, when you’re doing these activities throughout the year, be sure to take photos so that at your year-end holiday party you can have a slide show that will be the hit of your party.

Employee Morale Category number 2. Self-esteem

Self-esteem is raised by giving employees appreciation, respect and recognition, by both managers and co-workers.  When you have programs in place for appreciation and recognition, suddenly you have to look for the positive in your employees, in spite of their deficiencies.

Here are 4 ways for Supervisors to appreciate their employees:

1. Thank you letters sent to the employees’ homes so that they can share them with their families. When something is in writing, people can keep it and treasure it.
2. There are all kinds of creative ways to say, “Thank You” to your employees. For example: One supervisor told us she put a note of appreciation on a paper and fit it over a Hershey chocolate bar. The employees loved it.
3. Another supervisor created “Dinner with the Stars“. If a staff member is caught doing something above and beyond, he or she gets a Starbucks gift card for $5. Then… all who received a gift card during the month are treated to a dinner with an administrator the following month.
4. You can have a 10 minute “Spark Plug” Recognition ceremony once a month.
In a few minutes you can award what I call spark plug awards. They are fun awards for doing something special or having a special personal quality.

For example, the Crunch Award goes to the person who helped out when a deadline had to be met. The employee gets a certificate and a Nestles Crunch Bar.

The Sunshine Award – goes to the person who is always smiling. A certificate and a bag of sunflower seeds.

There are many fun awards that don’t take a lot of time to give and don’t cost a lot of money, but that create the sparks that fire up enthusiasm and motivation. And what’s more, everybody loves them.

Coworker appreciation activities are the best ways to encourage employees to cooperate with each other. Here are two easy ideas to get you started.

1. Co-worker Thank You Cards
Here’s an idea from one of our newsletter subscribers who said:  “The best idea we used recently was for co-workers to complete -Thank You cards- for each other.
Each Thank You card is completed in appreciation of a co-worker for any legitimate reason (rides to work, staying late to help with a project, etc.). The cards are put in a box and reviewed by management. The most meaningful and heartfelt -Thank You- is read to the group and the person who wrote the card receives a 1/2 day paid vacation. You could also have a drawing for the people who wrote the cards for another prize.

2. Here’s another that is easy and so effective sent to us by a manager in another company.  We have a dry erase board about 3 foot by 4 foot placed permanently in our office. This board has been a phenomenal team-building tool. It is titled the “Thank You Board.” The instructions are simply – to express your appreciation to any other Team Member or employee in writing on the board. She said, “This has been so popular that I have to erase the thank you notes by date to make room for new ones. Interestingly, we have had this board for over 7 years now, and it continues to be highly used.”
Co-worker appreciation activities work wonders for improving employee relationships because…You’re not going to complain about the person who appreciates you. There are so many creative ways for co-workers to show their appreciation that you can have a different coworker appreciation activity every month.

Employee Morale Category number 3. Self-Actualization
That means continued progress towards becoming not only the best employee you can be but also the best person that you can be.  For example, the call center had a “Word of the Week.”  They covered a long table in the hall with table paper, and chose a word such as kindness, courage, teamwork, etc. They wrote the word in the middle of the paper, and had felt tip marking pens in different colors so that the employees could add their thoughts about the “Word of the Week.” This also gave the employees a chance to read what others have written, and it put the focus on a positive quality that they could develop.

Instead of a table, you could also use index cards where the employees write their thoughts and pin them on a bulletin board.  If you have a weekly meeting, you could take a few minutes for employees to share their thoughts about the word of the week and how that quality could improve their workplace.  Any of these creates one of those “Islands of Positivity” that I spoke of earlier, and it doesn’t cost the company any money.

A Monthly Professional development lesson – on things such as teamwork, communication, time management, positive thinking, etc. at a monthly meeting or training session helps everyone relate the lesson to improving the workplace.

So all of these are examples of activities in the 3 categories of morale boosters, Social Acceptance, Esteem, and Self-Actualization

How often should you do morale boosters?
Boosting morale creates a positive emotional state, it’s important to add that positive energy every day.  And don’t worry about it taking time away from work. It doesn’t have to. It can be in bits and pieces that fit into your daily schedule, like eating an energy bar instead of a full blown meal, the time it takes will be more than made up in reduced negativity and improved productivity.

• So, do something small every day.
• Do other morale boosters every week
• Do meeting energizers and personal development at your weekly or monthly meetings.
• Do a coworker appreciation activity for at least a week during every month
• Add other activities as much as you can fit into your schedule.

Do 2 or more bigger events every year such as a summer family picnic and your holiday party.

Use your judgment. When energy seems low and negativity starts to creep back in, it’s time to add some more “Islands of Positivity” positive activities to maintain your safe harbor from the turbulence of workplace negativity.

How can listeners get more employee morale ideas?

I invite all our listeners to visit my web and sign up for our free employee morale boosters:
1. Employee Morale Assessment so you can rate your company in 7 key areas.
2. List of the Top Ten Morale Boosters that you can start using today to create a positive atmosphere.
3. Weekly newsletter with creative employee morale activities to create your “Islands of Positivity.”
So go to ConfidenceCenter.com –
Enter your name and email into the sign up for our free morale boosters and you will be on your way to a happier, more positive

Want to Use this Article in Your Newsletter or on Your Website?

Of course! You are welcome to print this, and any other articles we send, if you use the following byline:
A recognized expert on Resolving Conflict in the Workplace, Joyce Weiss, M.A., CSP is an author, accountability coach, and a Certified Speaking Professional. To book Joyce to speak at your event or company call: 800.713.1926 or email: Joyce@JoyceWeiss.com
Visit her website at JoyceWeiss.com to sign up for your own FREE video series and Communicate with Impact Weekly to Resolve Conflict in the Workplace.

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Until next time,

This is Joyce Weiss, Business Conflict Resolution Consultant
I help people become top level leaders who get GREAT results.
How do I do this?
I teach them to tackle the tough conversations with bullies and negative people to build employee engagement, accountability, and rock star performance…
The Result? My clients get a better night’s sleep!

Feel free to call me concerning your own team/executive retreats, workshops, on line professional growth coaching, and keynote speeches.

Remember…You Get What YOU Tolerate!