15 Ways to Improve Employee Morale

The best way to get the most from your employees is to ensure they are happy and satisfied by boosting their morale. There are a number of methods and best practices to make sure your workplace keeps employees happy and motivated all the time. However, there is something to be said for providing rewards and tokens of appreciation to make them feel noticed and appreciated.

This guide will explain why employee morale is so important, how to maintain high morale and what you can do to boost both morale and motivation by using the right branded presents to say thank you.

Understanding Employee Morale

Employee morale refers to how your team feels about the work they do, their roles and their work environment. Employee morale is important because it affects so many things relating to employee performance. Simply put, employee morale measures happiness, loyalty and motivation. The higher the morale is, the harder your team will work. A number of different factors influence the way your employees perceive their jobs and work environment. Knowing what to look for makes it easier to keep morale high.

There are four key concepts that are closely related to employee morale:

• Better employee retention: Happy employees are less likely to leave their jobs. If morale is high, so is employee satisfaction, which leads to lower turnover rates.
• Improved productivity: Employees who are satisfied with their jobs and their roles are willing to go the extra mile for their work. They tend to enjoy their work more and, as a result, feel more passionate about getting better results.
• Increased creativity: When morale is low, it reflects in the creativity and output of your employees. This can happen when employee burnout rates are high. Too much stress and pressure can greatly hinder the work produced by a team. High employee morale leads to better ideas, executions and more insightful work.
• High customer satisfaction: The happier your staff is, the better their attitudes and disposition, which increases customer satisfaction. Customers will feel respected and heard and will receive better service from employees who are happier with their jobs and workplaces.

These are some common causes of low employee morale:

• Lack of communication and trust: Employees want to feel like their voices are heard and that their feedback and opinions are wanted. They need to feel like they can trust the company they work for.
• Micromanagement: Micromanagement practices are known to reduce employee morale.
• Burnout: Being overworked and working under too much stress and pressure results in burnout. Employee burnout is capable of lowering morale greatly.
• Job satisfaction: When employees are not satisfied with their jobs, they are generally unhappy. Bad perks, poor benefits contribute to job resentment.
• Lack of appreciation: Having their hard work go unnoticed makes for disgruntled employees. Not recognizing their accomplishments and dedication reduces their motivation to be more productive.

How Employers Can Boost Morale in the Workplace

Employers can do the following to improve employee morale:

Open and Honest Communication

Open and honest communication can do so much for more than just employee morale. It can boost employee engagement, productivity and satisfaction as well. Better communication leads to better team cooperation and collaboration. It is important to show you are willing to communicate more than saying you are. Actions are more honest and speak louder than words in many ways. Be transparent, honest, open and clear with all communication and you will see a rise in employee morale.

Employee Recognition and Rewards

Employees need to feel like their hard work pays off and gets recognition. Implementing a rewards program is a way of appreciating employees who go the extra mile. There are multiple ways you can do this. For example, you can hold an event every quarter for top performers as a way of saying thank you and giving more to your team. You can also set incentives and rewards for those who reach certain targets. These can be vouchers, merchandise or any other appropriate reward.

Employee Incentive Programs

As mentioned in the previous point, employee incentive programs effectively boost morale, engagement and motivation. Incentive programs motivate employees by offering prizes and rewards for putting more into their work. They are also effective ways of attracting and retaining talent. You can use them to reinforce good behavior, thank employees for their dedication, acknowledge a milestone and many other reasons. From monetary bonuses to recognition, there are many ways to run these programs.

15 Promotional Items to Improve Employee Morale

Merchandise, branded goods and gifts are personalized ways of rewarding employees and showing you care. Physical rewards are one of the best employee morale ideas for companies and corporations to thank employees for their hard work. These prizes work as motivational tools because they are earned. When employees see a coffee mug given to them as a gift, they feel more pride and gratitude towards it. The following are some items you can use to boost employee morale and reward good work:

1. Pens

Rewarding employees with a company-branded or personalized pen is a good way of rewarding their work. There are a multitude of different types of pens to choose from. An executive metal twist pen is strong, durable and more authoritative than a plastic pen. From gel to ballpoint pens, there is so much the right choice of pen can say about someone and how it can make them feel while they work.

2. Coffee Mugs

Coffee mugs are a part of everyone’s morning ritual in a workplace environment. Giving your team members high-quality coffee mugs can help them start their day on the right note and show them they are part of the family. From a classic customized mug to a stainless steel promotional mug, you can make someone feel very welcome by giving them a mug they can feel proud to drink from for years to come.

3. Power Banks

Give your employees the gift of power with a trustworthy power bank charger with a customized message. A power bank is a high-end gift that boosts productivity by keeping phones and other electronics powered for longer periods of time. As a gift, power banks are practical, valuable and functional. This gadget can cost employees a fair bit of money, but with ePromos we can give you a significant corporate discount on personalized and branded power banks. Gifts like this can boost employee gratitude.

4. Sunglasses

Sunglasses are useful all year round but are more synonymous with summer, making them an excellent present before the sunny season starts. This gift is part of our many health and wellness offerings and can be a great gift that your employees will use daily. Whether they’re driving, out in nature or enjoying the sun, our custom rubberized sunglasses are both vibrant and comfortable to wear. This is one of the many different types of sunglasses we have available.

5. Tote Bags

Tote bags are versatile, functional and fashionable accessories with plenty of storage space. More than just a practical gift, tote bags are environmentally friendly as well. They come in a wide variety of sizes, styles and colors, making it easy to personalize tote bags to your employees’ preferences. A functional bag with a snap closure or a washable carry bag with a personalized touch is a good way to motivate teams and reward someone’s hard work and achievements.

6. Jackets

Show your appreciation for your employees with a high-quality jacket. Nice outerwear can be pricey, but with our corporate discounts, you can provide your employees with a customized jacket for a fraction of the price. This is a reward many employees will work hard to earn and is a great way of promoting motivation and productivity. From custom puffer jackets to rain jackets, our top-quality jackets come in every shape, size and color and are a great reward to work for.

7. Writing Gift Sets

Stationary of any kind is a practical and appropriate office gift. Giving your team a writing gift set shows you appreciate the hard work they’ve done and gives them something to use while they work. These writing sets can include a variety of stationery, like a customized pen and journal to write in. You can strengthen your relationship with employees, motivate teams and make people feel like their work is appreciated with a gift that helps them come up with their next great idea.

8. Laptop Bags

Another practical gift to give your coworkers and employees is a spacious laptop bag to hold their laptops, notebooks and anything else they bring to work. Gift-giving improves team morale and productivity, so give them a gift that actively helps them be more organized and productive. Laptop bags make it easy to transport all their workplace essentials safely and conveniently. This thoughtful gift will make packing and unpacking their stuff for work easier than ever.

9. Cell Phone Accessories

Cell phone accessories are a fun gift that lets employees store and personalize their phones. From cell phone grips to stands, there are loads of phone-related accessories we offer to help your employees decorate their desks and phones. You can give your staff anything from wireless charging pads, cellphone keychains, screen cleaners and much more with our wide selection of cellphone accessories.

10. Activewear

A lot of companies encourage active lifestyles and even gym membership discounts. Show you really care about enforcing an active lifestyle with comfortable and custom activewear apparel. Loose and comfortable activewear makes exercising a more pleasant experience. With our hoodies, fleeces, spandex leggings, tank tops and more, you can help your employees create the ultimate workout wardrobe while wearing their company pride. Add your logo to best fit your brand’s image.

11. Drinkware Gift Sets

Drinkware is a stylish and impressive gift to boost a team’s morale. Our wide range of drinkware gift sets includes wine glasses, travel mugs, water bottles and more. However, some people don’t drink alcohol, but that isn’t a problem. Cater your gift set to best suit the preferences of your employees. If you have a mix of tea drinkers and wine lovers, then you can customize your order to give everyone a meaningful gift that they can use.

All our gift sets come in a variety of colors and styles and can be customized with logos and messages as you see fit.

12. Coolers and Lunch Bags

Reward your employees with an insulated lunch bag to keep their drinks or food cold all day. Whether they want to keep their lunch close, avoid taking up fridge space or keep things fresh anywhere, this is the ultimate gift for use inside and outside of work. Choose from a wide range of sizes and styles to give your employees a useful gift with some extra thought. Adding your brand to these bags is a great way of showing how much you appreciate everything they do.

13. Shirts

Giving your employees comfortably customized company-branded t-shirts is a great way for employees to show pride for the brand they work for. From t-shirts to quarter zips, there are a lot of ways your employees can show off how much they care about the company they work for while looking stylish at the same time. T-shirts are an affordable way to outfit your team with colors to match your brand and sizes to fit everyone.

14. Sun Essentials

Not many companies gift their employees with sunscreen or sun lotion, but it’s a useful gift that shows you care about their health and wellness. Sunscreen is a unique branded product to receive, making it a surprising and touching gift for employees you know are active and enjoy the outdoors. There is a broad range to choose from, with kits containing sunscreen and protective lip balm or conveniently sized bottles that they can carry with them anywhere.

15. Headphones

There are a lot of people who enjoy playing music or listening to podcasts while they work. Give them the tools they need to enjoy their music and background noise with the right set of headphones. Choose the perfect set and style for your employee to make their office space more comfortable and improve their productivity. From wired earbuds to Bluetooth® headsets, there are so many options available to choose from to give your employees the ultimate listening experience while they’re hard at work.

Say Thank You in a Meaningful Way With ePromos

A positive work environment needs to recognize employee achievements, communicate effectively and do whatever needs to be done to make employees happy with their jobs. ePromos provides top-quality custom products that make the perfect thank you gift for your hard-working employees. There’s a gift for everyone and a way to say anything that needs to be said with our extensive range of products.

Let ePromos help you thank your team, show your appreciation and boost employee morale today. Contact us to find our more or place an order using our online store.