Top Ways On How To Boost Morale At Work

Does the energy feel lower than usual during a meeting? Are the productivity levels not as high as they once were? It may be a sign that your team needs a morale boost. It’s not always easy maintaining a positive attitude throughout the year, especially when you work from home.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of remote work, the workplace dynamic has dramatically changed. Even though employees now get more time in their day and have a healthier work-life balance: 75% of employees say they feel more socially isolated. Not only that, but some employees are taking on bigger workloads than ever before.

Once your team starts to exhibit signs of burnout or social isolation, it’s a sign you should consider morale boosters. Morale boosters come in different shapes and forms. They can be simple forms of simple recognition or virtual experiences you plan for your team.

Here’s how to boost morale at work:

Signs of burnout in the workplace

Even though remote work has improved individuals' quality of life and their work-life balance, burnout is still an issue in the workplace. A recent survey suggests that 75% of employees have experienced some level of burnout at some point in their career.

Here are a few of the warning signs to look out for:

●      Exhaustion or lack of enthusiasm

●      Low-quality work performance

●      Anxiety, stress, or worries

●      Sleep deprivation

●      Ongoing irritability or mood swings

Some individuals also experience physical signs of burnout, which aren’t always easy to notice, especially with the work-from-home dynamic. The first step to finding a solution for burnout and learning how to boost morale at work is to address the warning signs and get to the root of the problems before they become an issue.

Our Fun Ways to Boost Morale at Work

Yoga For People Who Work At Desks

Sometimes, all an employee needs is a little extra TLC! With a yoga experience, your team members will learn the ins and the outs of putting their bodies first. This relaxing experience provides the tools they need to improve the workplace dynamic. During the class, they’ll learn breathing exercises, stretches, and easy movements they can practice during the workday. This virtual experience is a quick and easy 30 minutes long and can accommodate up to 500 individuals.

Create a shoutout slack channel

You’d be surprised at how much a small compliment or random moment of recognition can improve the workplace experience for the individual. Devoting an entire slack channel to positive vibes, compliments, and recognition is great if you’re wanting to learn how to boost work morale and keep your employees happy. If they feel recognized by the whole staff, they’re more likely to enjoy their experience working for your company.

Approachable Meditation

This meditation activity helps your team practice mindfulness meditation and helps train your brain through visualization, various breathing techniques, or repetition.

In this meditation session, your team will experience a variety of techniques they can use throughout the work week if they ever need a moment to relax and unwind. This virtual morale booster idea is an hour long and can accommodate up to 500 attendees.

Take your meetings on a walk

Sitting at a desk all day can be draining, especially when you have back-to-back meetings all day long. The best way to get their legs moving and provide them with a burst of energy is taking your department meetings or one-on-one meetings on the go. To do this, add a note to your next team meeting that the call will be taken by phone. Everyone will be encouraged to walk around the neighborhood or in their community for that meeting. Everyone will share their updates with the team while they enjoy their much-needed outside time.

Chocolate Candy Making

Did you know eating chocolate is a great way to stimulate the production of endorphins? That means chocolate has the power to improve your mood and give you that happy feeling you’ve been craving! With a chocolate candy-making class, your team will experience the decadent tastes of chocolate from the comfort of their home.

This fun way to boost morale at work can accommodate teams of 6 to 500 and is an hour long. Each member of your team that chooses to participate will receive a complete kit with one pound of chocolate, peanut butter filling, and other delicious treats.

Schedule a team-building game

When individuals don’t feel a strong connection with their team members, it can cause a disconnect. It may take away from your team's overall experience in the workplace or drive them to look for a different opportunity.

Planning team-building games is a fun and entertaining morale booster tactic to improve the workplace experience and keep everyone happy. The best part is, there’s a range of different games to choose from.

Here are a few to consider while getting started:

●      Virtual escape games

●      Scavenger Hunts

●      Murder Mystery Parties

●      Trivia

●      Game Show Games

●      Virtual Bingo

The best part is that the virtual version of these games can be just as entertaining as the in-person ones. After the game, your team will have something to connect on for the upcoming weeks and find new ways to connect and start conversations in the workplace.

Mindful Communication @ Work

Communication is often at the root of most problems in the workplace. With the help of our mindful communication class, your team can take a closer look into their day-to-day interactions and help us find new ways to communicate without team members.

The goal of this experience is to help participants gain a newfound awareness and utilize communication tactics to improve communication in the workplace. Our Mindful Communication course can accommodate up to 99 participants and is an hour long.

Bring Your Pet To Work Day

Working from home makes it easy to invite your pet to the Zooms screen for everyone to meet. For your next all-hands or team meeting, consider encouraging your team to invite their furry friend to join them. Everyone will meet each other's pets and see their cute little faces on the Zoom screen. What more could you ask for from an all-hands meeting?

You can also choose to have the cutest pet contest on your slack channel. That way, everyone can show off their furry friends and share their favorite photos. Fair warning: It will be cuteness overload.

Succulent Planting & Plant Propagation

Did you know spending more time around plants is a great way to destress? This natural mood booster can boost self-esteem and put your team members in a good mood. With our succulent planting and plant propagation experience, learn how to propagate plants and have hands-on experience planting their own plants from the comfort of their home. Before the event, they will receive a kit that contains everything they need.

This hour-long morale booster event is perfect for small intimate groups and can help your team connect on something that isn't work-related. Who knows, you may have more than a few green thumbs among your team.

Send them company swag!

Branding company swag is a great way to remind your team that they’re part of a team and a community that supports them professionally. It may seem like just a branded hat or shirt to you. However, that item has the power to leave a lasting impression on your employees and help them grow a stronger connection with your brand. Consider sending your new hires a care package full of goodies, or send out gifts to your team when they hit a milestone or as a holiday gift.

Boost Your Team’s Morale with Elevent

As a leader in the workplace, your team’s happiness should always be a top concern. If you start seeing the early warning signs of burnout or notice your team isn’t engaging as much in your weekly meetings, it may be a sign to add some fun back into their work day.

At Elevent, we want to help you plan engaging activities for your team to increase morale and keep their spirits high. If you’re ready to improve the workplace experience for everyone, take a look at our collection of morale booster events to get started.

If you need help choosing an event for your team, contact us today.

Originally published at Aug 25 2022, 5:56:29 PM. Updated on May 4 2024.