15 Effective Employee Morale Examples To Boost Morale in 2024

Written by Neelie Verlinden
11 minutes read

According to the latest Gallup report, a large majority of employees are quietly quitting, signaling a decline in employee engagement and employee morale. The impact is estimated to cost organizations a whopping $8.8 trillion in global GDP.

As HR practitioners, you probably know that bolstering employee morale can positively influence employees, their colleagues, and the overall business. 

In this article, we’ll explore what employee morale entails, identify indicators of low morale, and present 15 examples to boost morale.

Contents
Employee morale definition
Using an employee morale survey to gauge levels 
How to boost morale at work: 15 examples
9 Tips to instantly boost employee morale

Employee morale definition

Employee morale encompasses the emotional wellbeing, job satisfaction, and overall attitude of individuals within an organization. It represents the collective sentiments, attitudes, and satisfaction levels that employees hold towards their work, colleagues, workplace, and the organization as a whole.


Low employee morale

Employees feel poorly about their work and the organization in a low-morale workplace. As a result, they are disengaged, less productive, and more likely to leave. In fact, disengaged employees have an 18% lower productivity rate and a 37% increased likelihood of taking time off.  

Here are some examples of what low employee morale can look like: 

  • A negative attitude: This can be a sign of low morale, especially if it comes from an employee who used to be positive. 
  • A lack of attendance: If an employee stops showing up for work or starts taking more sick days, this can also indicate low morale. 
  • Low or reduced productivity: Someone who has lost interest or meaning in their work often stops doing their regular tasks or produces subpar results.   

High employee morale

High morale is characterized by positive attitudes, motivation, enthusiasm, and a sense of wellbeing. 

Examples of high employee morale include: 

  • High job satisfaction: Employees express satisfaction with their roles, tasks, and responsibilities. They find their work meaningful and fulfilling.
  • Strong teamwork and collaboration: Employees work well together and support one another.
  • High productivity and performance: Employees are consistently productive and meet or exceed performance targets. They take pride in their work and strive for excellence.
  • Low absenteeism and turnover: Few employees are absent from work due to illness or personal reasons. Employee turnover is minimal, as employees are satisfied and committed to the organization.

Using an employee morale survey to gauge levels 

HR teams can measure employee morale with an employee morale survey. Doing so will help them understand the attitude of individual employees and teams and enable them to identify areas for improvement.  

Survey questions can differ from one organization to another, but here are some topics to include: 

  • Job satisfaction 
  • Recognition
  • Work-life balance 
  • Communication and transparency 
  • Company culture.   

Once the results of the survey are in, it’s important to analyze them to create positive changes and improvements across the organization effectively. 

In the next section, we will discuss how HR can boost morale at work and share 15 different employee morale examples.

Examples on how to boost employee morale, such as recognition programs, fair compensation, quarterly team days, etc.

How to boost morale at work: 15 examples 

1. Recognition programs

Everyone loves to hear that they’re doing an outstanding job! It’s a wonderful feeling to be appreciated and have your efforts recognized. Implementing an employee recognition program can contribute to building a culture where recognition becomes second nature to all employees.

HR tips

  • First, decide which type of recognition you want to start with, such as peer-to-peer, manager-to-employee, team recognition, etc.
  • Start small. Conduct a trial run within one or two teams and your own HR team before rolling out a company-wide initiative. 

2. Involve employees in decision-making 

Recognition is just the beginning. People like to know they are being heard and their opinions are considered. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is by actively involving employees in the organization’s decision-making processes.

HR tips

  • Start with a survey to ask employees what they’d like to be involved in most (i.e., setting their own goals for performance, brainstorming days, leadership committees, etc.)
  • A simple thing to do is create a suggestion box in the office and online
  • Ask managers to talk with their teams to hear what can be done on a team level. 

3. Ensure employees know what and how they contribute 

Boosting employee morale is not only achieved by providing a clear understanding of their role in the bigger picture, but also by demonstrating how their contributions directly impact the company’s goals. By aligning their daily activities with the organization’s strategy, employees gain a sense of purpose and fulfillment, especially when they wholeheartedly support the company’s mission.

HR tips

  • Begin by actively involving employees in understanding how their activities and objectives directly contribute to the organization’s strategy and goals
  • Provide regular updates to employees, such as through monthly, company-wide gatherings, on progress towards achieving those goals

4. Doing something they love 

As Steve Jobs said in his now famous speech given at the 2005 Stanford graduation: “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” People who enjoy their jobs are more likely to be optimistic and motivated, learn faster, make fewer mistakes, and make better business decisions.   

It’s easy to overlook, but let’s not forget that employees spend the majority of their time at work. So, if their work involves something they genuinely enjoy – well, at least most of the time – it significantly impacts their morale.

HR tips

  • When conducting engagement surveys, ask employees about their job satisfaction and the reasons behind it
  • Explore what aspects of their job energize them and what elements do not
  • Implement stay interviews as a more personalized approach to gather insights on what employees appreciate about their roles and areas that can be improved.

5. Fair compensation

Research from PayScale shows that a fair and transparent pay process boosts employee engagement – and morale – more than providing additional pay would, SHRM reports. 

The same report found that employee satisfaction is mainly driven by feeling that pay is fair, not by how much someone is actually paid. How employees feel about the organization’s pay philosophy and process is more likely to affect their outlook than their actual pay. 

HR tips

  • Publish your compensation policy so that it’s available for everyone – employees and candidates – to see
  • Ensure that people know how the organization’s compensation policy works and, if not, where to go with their questions. 

6. A good employee-manager relationship

It’s no secret that great managers can significantly impact employee morale, engagement, and retention. For example, a report by the human capital management firm Ultimate Sofware shows that 56% of respondents were willing to reject a 10% raise to stay with a great manager.

The opposite, of course, is also true. A survey by GoodHire discovered that 82% of employees would quit a job because of a bad manager.

HR tips

  • Ask employees about their relationship with their manager during the stay and exit interviews
  • Support managers and employees in becoming more self-aware. Self-awareness enhances their problem-solving abilities and relationships. Here are some examples of self-awareness activities.

7. Celebrate achievements

Celebrating achievements as a team or within your company can also help boost employee morale.

At AIHR, we regularly celebrate achievements both at the team and company level. Recently, AIHR celebrated the launch of our popular 2024 HR Trends. The company invited all employees to the ‘launch party’ held at the office and online, and celebrated with champagne and cake.  

The teams who contributed to the project were thanked and celebrated. Each received an ‘HR Trends medal’ and everyone enjoyed a glass of bubbles (or beverage of their choice) with a piece of cake.  

HR tips

  • Involve employees in celebrating achievements and ask them about their ideas to celebrate achievements
  • Share the latest celebrations in, for instance, your weekly ‘People Team Newsletter’ as an extra morale booster.

8. Ensure employees know the company’s career progression system 

It’s only natural for employees to want to progress in their careers. While this doesn’t mean the same for everyone – some may want to climb the corporate ladder while others may prefer a different type of career progression – organizations need to ensure that their career progression system is clear to all their employees. 

This involves promotions and the conditions to be considered, but it also involves pay raises and bonuses, and when people can expect to receive them. 

HR tips

  • Consider adding a section about bonuses, pay raises, and promotions to your (publicly available) compensation policy page
  • Think of adding a module to your employee onboarding program about the company’s career progression system, where new hires can find it, and where they can go with their questions. 

9. Encourage quarterly team days 

Although teams work together daily and tend to have daily meetings, there isn’t always room for conversations revolving around topics that don’t involve work. Or to get to know our colleagues beyond their ‘professional persona.’ 

This is why it’s essential to organize team-building activities such as for instance, quarterly team days. Team building is vital to so many critical functions of a team: communication, collaboration, morale, and productivity. And, perhaps most importantly, it’s fun!

HR tips

  • Encourage managers to organize quarterly team days for their teams. Offer to help them if they don’t know how to do this. 
  • If there is no budget for these kinds of things (yet), convince leadership about the importance of team-building activities and a budget. 
  • Share pictures or videos of teams during their quarterly team days in your weekly ‘People Team’ newsletter.

10. Provide L&D opportunities that interest people 

As mentioned earlier, it’s only natural for employees to want to progress in their careers and keep growing professionally and personally. 

This looks different from one person to another. Some may prefer entering one or more mentorship programs, and others may opt for job rotation, online training, or a lunch-and-learn session. Regardless of the format, giving employees a choice regarding their development is good for their morale. 

HR tips

  • A peer mentoring program might be a good place to start if budget is an issue   
  • Ensure that all employees know the various L&D options and where to go with questions. 

11. Foster autonomy at work 

Companies that encourage autonomy in the workplace show higher employee motivation and engagement – and, by extension, employee morale.

Put simply, workplace autonomy is about letting employees work in a way that suits them best. This can involve, for example: 

  • The order in which they do their tasks 
  • Being able to make decisions on their own
  • Being able to solve problems on their own.

HR tips

  • Start by defining what autonomy looks like in your organization 
  • Train managers to trust employees by offering them autonomy and space, while at the same time remaining available for advice and guidance when needed.

12. Ensure culture fit

Culture fit is about the employees in the organization sharing the same beliefs, values, and behaviors as their employer – and their coworkers. A lot can be said about hiring for culture fit (or not), but the point here is that if someone feels like ‘the odd one out’ in the company they are working for, this will affect their morale. 

Let’s look at two examples. Sarah, who just joined the company, is an introvert, but her new workplace has many social functions. Pierre, who came from a strict, hierarchical organization, now finds himself in a very collaborative company. 

HR tips

  • A lot of ‘culture misfits’ can be avoided by asking specific questions during the recruitment process. Ask candidates how they work and what they’re used to, and ask them to give examples of how they react in certain situations. 
  • Add videos about your company culture, for instance, via employee testimonials, on your careers page.

13. Act on employee feedback

In this article alone, we’ve mentioned surveys as a tool to gather employee feedback a couple of times. And while they can be a great instrument to use, the point of conducting an employee survey is to act based on the survey findings. 

Ignoring employee feedback from surveys can lead to a loss of trust, increased turnover, and harms productivity and employee morale, among other things.

HR tips

  • Think of an effective way to communicate the survey results to employees
  • If the company cannot act (right now) upon certain feedback, be transparent about this and let people know
  • Give regular updates about progress that is being made.

14. Regular manager check-ins

While this should be considered an integral part of the good employee-manager relationship we mentioned earlier, regular check-ins and continuous conversation are worth mentioning separately as they can greatly increase morale. 

Ideally, managers have an ongoing, meaningful conversation with their team members that provides honest feedback, encourages them, and strengthens engagement. These weekly one-on-ones also provide an excellent opportunity for managers to gauge morale – and identify potential issues early on. 

HR tips

  • Encourage managers to schedule weekly one-on-ones with their team members and to prioritize these moments
  • Ensure that there is an easy way for managers and employees to document and keep track of their conversations.

15. Consider an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

An employee assistance program (EAP) is a workplace benefit program designed to provide confidential and professional assistance to employees who are dealing with personal or work-related problems that could affect their wellbeing and job performance. 

EAPs help reduce the stigma around mental health and create an environment where employees feel comfortable seeking help when needed. Implementing an EAP demonstrates a commitment to employee wellbeing and positively affects employee morale. 

HR tips

  • If you implement an EAP, develop a solid communication strategy to inform employees about the EAP, its benefits, and how to access services
  • Provide training for managers and supervisors to help them understand the EAP, recognize the signs of distress in employees, and effectively refer employees to the program when needed.  

9 Tips to instantly boost employee morale

  1. Include employee work anniversaries in your (weekly) People Team newsletter to the company
  2. If there’s a budget, send your employees a small token of appreciation for their work anniversaries
  3. If there is no weekly People Team newsletter, create one, as it’s a great way to recognize your employees continuously
  4. Encourage managers to make a habit of regularly thanking their teams for their hard work
  5. Recognize work promotions in your (weekly) People Team newsletter or company-wide meeting
  6. If possible, get company merchandise and give it to employees
  7. Organize a ‘summer party’ or an ‘end-of-the-year holiday party’ at least once a year
  8. Encourage employees to recognize their peers
  9. Create a suggestion box right away (both online and offline).

Key takeaway

Employee morale affects individual employees, their coworkers, and the business. If your organization suffers from low morale, these 15 employee morale examples are a great place to start turning things around.

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Neelie Verlinden

Neelie Verlinden is a digital content creator at AIHR. She’s an expert on all things digital in HR and has written hundreds of articles on innovative HR practices. In addition to her writing, Neelie is also a speaker and an instructor on several popular HR certificate programs.

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