How To Keep Office-Based Employees Happy & Motivated

With staff returning to work after the pandemic, it’s time to consider ways to make the transition go as smoothly as possible. That’s why in this article, we’ll explore:

Easy ways to improve the office environment
How to boost internal communications
The importance of providing individual support

From reducing staff absences to boosting morale, keep reading as we’ll show you how to supercharge employee well-being in no time at all…

Photo by Samantha Gades on Unsplash

Boost internal communications

Encourage team building

Working to build relationships between employees helps to improve collaborative working, foster a healthy company culture and build bridges across departments. In order to provide useful team-building experiences, ask staff directly what they would like to do.

This could include regular lunches out, providing additional collaborative software or hosting fun team-building sporting events. Team building holds a vital role in the workplace - it’s just a matter of approaching it in a way that works for everyone.

Poll your employees

Without regularly surveying your employees, it can be challenging to ascertain their overall levels of happiness and motivation. If your staff are unhappy or demotivated, it can have a serious knock-on effect in terms of productivity and morale.

That’s why it’s a good idea to provide your team with a way to submit feedback anonymously, thus enabling them to share their true thoughts with ease. It also offers a chance to address any negativity early on, to prevent it from festering and damaging the company culture.

Celebrate accomplishment

One of the leading causes of people leaving their posts is feeling like their efforts at work go unrecognised. To retain and attract top talent whilst boosting staff motivation, managers should devote time each week to celebrate staff success - across the board.

Take the time to celebrate all wins, both big and small, along with praising consistent levels of effort and letting people know that you are just thankful to have them on board. Humans are inherently social beings, so they need a sense of purpose to feel like they are making a difference whilst remaining motivated and happy.

Improve the office environment

Keep things clean

There are two key reasons to ensure that, once the team is back in the offices, the premises are kept clean. Firstly, a clutter-free environment can help to boost mental clarity and well-being, and secondly, it helps to prevent the spread of viruses.

Ensure that high-traffic zones are cleaned on a regular basis - such as the kitchen, bathrooms and meeting rooms, and clean door handles and light switches daily (or as often as possible).

Update the decor

There are no two ways about it - drab, dull office decor can make employees feel flat and unmotivated, and it can leave visitors or potential clients with a bad impression.

This doesn’t mean you have to spend loads of cash on renovating the office, but you can come up with smart ways to give things a refresh. For example:

Give the walls a fresh lick of paint
Maximise natural light
Get rid of clutter and give objects a home
Throw away or donate unused objects
Replace broken furniture
Add some plants to liven things up
Provide staff with additional storage

If you’re unsure where to start, get your team involved - ask them what they would like to see, put together a task force and provide them with rewards for their assistance.

Provide personal support

Aid mental wellbeing

Ensuring staff happiness goes beyond providing free refreshments and a nice laptop. Stress at work can lead to more complicated mental health issues, such as burnout, anxiety and even depression.

The first step to ensuring mental well-being is ensuring you have well-informed managers or HR members that can identify the warning signs, such as social withdrawal, problems managing the workload or problems with concentration.

To support mental wellness, there are plenty of things you can do including:

Train & designate a mental health offices
Give staff access to free counselling or therapy
Regularly review individual workloads
Enable discussions about mental health
Have an action plan in place to support struggling staff

There is no one size fits all solution when it comes to mental health, but the above measures can help to empower staff to reach out for help when they need it. It’s all about creating a safe, open space where your team feels like they will get the support they need without fear of being judged.

Encourage physical activity

Not getting enough exercise during office days can lead staff to feel fatigued, sluggish and unmotivated. Whilst there is no benefit to forcing those to exercise who don’t want to, it’s important to create a culture where people can feel empowered to look after their own body and mind. Ways to do this include:

Starting a company running or walking club
Providing discounts on gym memberships
Allowing staff to take longer lunch breaks
Providing healthy break room snacks

Healthy employees are less likely to take sick leave, and ensuring they can maintain their fitness levels when they aren’t working remotely can have a significant impact on both mental and physical well-being.

Now you know how to set yourself up for success by supporting employee health and happiness, enabling you to boost morale and build a robust company culture for years to come...

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