How to cheer up your workforce during a challenging 2020

Many UK businesses are still operating remotely with no sign of heading back to the office – this means there is a very real risk that employee morale could slip. It is important for organisations to ensure they routinely boost the morale of their workforce in order to keep productivity levels up and to retain staff.

According to The Fintech Times many people feel that they are much more productive when working remotely, however other sources suggest that loneliness is kicking in for others after months of working from home. As an employer, it’s always advisable to make sure that your staff are feeling their best as this will have a direct impact on their work. In this article you will find a number of ways to cheer up your staff and keep morale high for the remainder of this work from home period.

Organize team activities

With crowd-based events running on limited capacities and strict guidelines for team meetings being enforced in many businesses, office/team events are not entirely possible right now, but with technology at our disposal, all is not lost. Why not try organising a virtual quiz via Teams or Skype, or even hire virtual entertainment that you can all enjoy together? It is important to make sure staff are still experiencing the social side of work, and these types of virtual activities are a great way to do that.

Check in

As we touched on above, working from home can get quite lonely, especially for those that live by themselves. Checking in on your staff is absolutely crucial during these uncertain times and for some, it could be the only conversation they have all day. Be sure that these check-ins are not solely work focused – get personal and ask them how they are feeling, how their day is going and what they have planned for the weekend. A little bit of interaction can go a long way.

Recognize and praise for great work

Recognition is a great mood booster, and many employees rely on praise and recognition to keep their confidence up. It can be hard to keep track of all the great work people are doing whilst working from home. However, when and where you can, make sure to shout about all the amazing things your staff are doing day to day, not only will this boost the individual’s mood, but it is a great moral booster for the rest of the team too.

Encourage work breaks

Staring at a computer screen all day every day can lead to headaches, tiredness, and a whole host of other issues that can seriously dampen your mood. As an employer you should take it upon yourself to encourage your employees to take regular screen breaks and most importantly, to take their lunch break away from the screen. Not only will they appreciate you not expecting them to work as though their life depends on it, but they are less likely to experience any symptoms associated with continuous screen time, keeping them feeling fresh and happy, not to mention much more focused!

By : Ella Mason