Feb 1, 2019
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With the holidays behind us and the long year ahead of us, it sort of feels like February is the Tuesday of the year. Maybe it is time for a little employee morale boost, something to get your employee’s feeling better through the long winter months ahead. Here are some tips to help create a more positive work environment for you and your coworkers.
Positive Reinforcement
It can sometimes feel like people only notice when you mess up and never when you succeed. But when supervisors or coworkers go out of their way to compliment all your hard work it makes it all worth it. So maybe you can be the person to create a positive trend around the office. It can be as simple as thanking someone for cleaning up the breakroom or refilling the paper in the printer. You can even leave anonymous sticky notes on people’s desk if it is easier than giving and receiving compliments face to face. The best part is that when you notice and recognize employees who go above and beyond, they will be incentivized to continue to try and help around the office. Plus, what goes around comes around, so you can expect to receive some of these good vibes yourself.
Encourage Activites Outside the Office
There is a lot of research to back up the pure positive power of exercise. Maybe encouraging your peers to sign up and train for a 5k or something even bolder like a polar bear plunge can promote comradery and healthy habits. You can even organize a way for people to volunteer at a local soup kitchen or an office food drive. Helping other people makes everyone feel better, so it is a surefire way to make other people feel better about themselves and working for the company. There are endless ways that large groups of people can organize and volunteer, so ask around the office to see if people would be willing to give it a try.
An Occasional Treat
It’s pretty hard to be grumpy when you’re surprised with an unexpected treat. The random donuts in the breakroom or some cupcakes can put a smile on anyone’s face. If you want to shy away from sweets, getting lunch for the office is always a fun way to break up the day and make people feel appreciated. Treats aren’t always limited to food. Little gifts to leave on people’s desks will brighten anyone’s day. Giving an office plant, new office supplies, or a small mug just take a small effort but can go a long way. It doesn’t have to be expensive because people will recognize the intention and appreciate it as much as an expensive gift.
No one expects you to have a great day, every day. But the goal is to have more good days than bad, so putting the extra effort to cheer up not only yourself but your co-workers and employees will help make the day go by faster. Having a fast, efficient, positive work environment that people will be excited to go to work every day will benefit everyone.