Page 28 - Anne Bruce - Building A HIgh Morale Workplace (2002)

8 Building a High Morale Workplace

passion for the positive
Say Thank You
At Lands’ End they’ve cre- and then start your own
ated small cards with spe- “gratitude team” or ”just
cial meanings to thank one another because committee.” Have
internally and to boost daily morale. the teams come up with
It’s an easy way to encourage employ- ways to encourage daily
ees and managers to express their
affirmations throughout the
appreciation.
organization. It’s a great
way to involve employees
in building morale.

Step 4. Spread Contagious Enthusiasm Wherever You Go

If it’s high performance
that you want, then it’s
Keeping Their
important that you, too,
Respect
You’re the manager.You set maintain high perform-
the tone. Never ask employees to do ance goals and contagious
anything you wouldn’t do yourself. Be enthusiasm for your work.
enthusiastic. Show employees by your Remember that high
example that if you act enthusiastic, morale starts with you, so
you will be enthusiastic! And remem-
be careful to practice what
ber: your behavior is the role model
you preach if you are to
for your employees—for better or
maintain credibility among
worse.
your workers. Then spread
the word about how

important everyone’s job is to the overall success of the compa-
ny and provide workers with examples about how much they
are valued.

Step 5. Treat Employees as Humans, Not Just Workers

Boost morale by acknowledging the human side of doing busi-
ness and nurturing an atmosphere of high self-esteem by treat-

ing people like ... people. Humanness and humanity are the
cornerstones of self-esteem and high morale. Start by creating
a “whole-person database.” Show that you appreciate your
employees and that you’re interested in what interests them.