24-Hour Turnaround CommitmentImproving Warehouse Morale in 2020
Warehouse Morale is Critical to Your Success
Every workplace operates differently. From the work you do to the industry in which you work, no two workplaces are the same. However, every workplace strives to improve and maintain high employee morale. After all, having high morale in your workplace is crucial to the overall quality of your business. The warehouse industry is no stranger to this.
When your warehouse morale is high, that reflects on the level of productivity and efficiency in your products and service. If your employees genuinely enjoy what they do in the environment in which they work, they will work harder and increase their productivity. Their positive attitudes will rub off on each other, inspiring each other. However, not every workplace has that privilege. Some workplaces lack positive morale.
When warehouse morale is low, it becomes evident. Whether it’s through employees’ lethargic movements, rolling eyes, heavy signs, or lack of communication, it’s hard to miss when morale is low. Low morale often leads to:
- High turnover rates
- Tardiness or absences
- Lack of cooperation
- Lackluster employee performances
- Inappropriate behavior
- Excuses over solutions
This often wears away at the atmosphere put in place. Your business will suffer from this, too.
As we continue further into 2020, you need to be conscious of your warehouse morale. If it’s positive, keep up the good work. But if it’s negative, you need to take the correct steps to improve it. Ace Equipment – Best Forklift Rental is here to help you improve warehouse morale in 2020.
COMMUNICATE OPENLY
While every employer wants their employees to be happy with their position and what they do, this is far from the case. A recent report found that about 46% of Americans are currently unhappy at work. That is almost half of the American workforce. Whether you think the majority of your staff is happy, there may be a large portion that isn’t.
You should have an open line of communication between you and your warehouse staff. When there are problems, and morale is low, do not avoid these conversations. Your employees will respect your honesty.
Openly communicate with your team consistently. Share anything like new going on in the company, whether it’s a like new location, product, or service. Don’t be afraid to ask them how they are feeling daily. Anonymous surveys also give you some perspective into what your workforce is unhappy about, presenting you with the opportunity to make positive changes.
If there are any company changes that may affect warehouse morale, keep your employees in the loop. This shows them that you thought of them while making decisions.
CELEBRATE EMPLOYEE ACHIEVEMENTS
Your employees thrive on praise. Many of them feel underappreciated when they continuously do their job well, yet never receive recognition. Additionally, recent studies have found that 79% of employees who leave their jobs did so because of a “lack of appreciation.”
Make sure you go out of your way to congratulate your employees on a job well down. When your employees feel appreciated, their work and self-worth will reflect that. To boost warehouse morale, don’t be afraid to look to the past to leap forward. Look at your employees’ past accomplishments and congratulate them. Let them know that you see their work, and you appreciate it.
OFFER INTERNAL GROWTH
A large reason many employees feel unhappy at work is that they feel that the work they do lacks purpose. They simply come in every day, do their work, and leave with nothing to look forward to. Research has proven that employees thrive off of growth, motivating them to stay engaged in their work. In fact, companies that offer some form of career development demonstrate nearly 250% higher productivity.
You don’t have to offer promotions in your warehouse. Maybe you can send them to a conference to further their skills or offer them courses to improve their abilities to offer them future responsibility. All you need to do is give your employees opportunities for growth to motivate them, which will, in turn, boost warehouse morale.
PLAN TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITIES
While these activities aren’t meant to fix the overall problem, they do offer employees a chance to focus on something other than work while also building a sense of camaraderie. Your staff will become much closer to each other after these activities, which helps them work more cooperatively and efficiently. There are several team building activities available to you. You can even ask your employees what they would rather do, as well. Your team may even discover like new strengths of theirs that they can bring with them to the workplace, improving their confidence and morale moving forward.
ENCOURAGE REAL BREAKS
Unfortunately, research has shown that only one in five people take a lunch break. Furthermore, white-collar workers are the least likely to take a break away from their desks. It’s believed that the source of creativity and innovation occurs when people change their environment. Staying inside and in one location hinders an employee’s creativity.
Provide your employees with plenty of opportunities to step away from their desks. It doesn’t even need to be lunch breaks. Encourage them to take five minutes every hour to walk around the office, streak their legs, and grab some fresh air.
ASK FOR FEEDBACK
Arguably one of the best ways to boost warehouse morale is by asking for employee feedback. Show your staff that you listen to what they have to say. Whether it is anonymous or not, employees appreciate being heard. However, just asking for feedback only goes so far. You must be willing to act on it. You aren’t expected to implement each piece of feedback you receive, but you should consider implementing some. For the feedback you don’t act on, thank your employees for their suggestions.
While creating a product or service that customers want and marketing it to the right audience are both crucial aspects of your business, your employee morale is just as important. After all, how are you going to be able to offer the best service if the ones responsible for providing the product aren’t happy? Ace Equipment understands how important maintaining and improving warehouse morale is and wanted to share some useful tips with you.
