Improving employee morale: Industry Trends & Analysis

Whether your shop is busy or struggling to survive a downturn, employees are your best asset.

We’ve had to downsize over the past few months, but a good group remains. Many are handling new tasks, but a reengineering of employees’ tasks can be beneficial, driving everyone to work smarter, not harder. It is working well so far, thanks to everyone picking up the slack created by the departed employees.

Nonetheless, lingering concerns about the economy and job security remain and can foster an unpleasant work environment. No matter how effective a shop’s owners and managers are, a cloud of uncertainty can damage morale when it is needed most.

To boost spirits and generate confidence in their efforts, it’s crucial to instill employees with optimism and hope, and offer them something so they can go home with some degree of comfort. And with maintaining cash flow and controlling expenses being so critical, it’s wise to find simple and cheap ways to build camaraderie in spite of a downturn and its weighty concerns.

One idea proved effective at our shop: We got the big smoker pit from the back of the shop, blew the dust off and prepared it for a Friday cookout. We realized it had been too long since we used it, and it was time to reward hard work. Our shop managers and supervisors coordinated most of the cookout, including getting workers to bring food, drinks and the related supplies.

When I walked through the shop that morning, I could already smell food smoking for lunch. The aroma, combined with beautiful, late-January sunshine, immediately lifted my spirits. It would be a good end to a draining month.