7 Ways to Boost your Team in 2022

Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z are the primary culprits of The Great Resignation. The way to increase morale and employee consistency is through a proper work environment filled with work-life balance, enhanced benefits, and positive company culture.

The pandemic was not the reason for the Great Resignation, but it has shifted how the traditional corporate structure operates. Remote teams, remote work, and hybrid schedules are the future of corporate America. How do you keep your team boosted and increase high morale?

There are several strategies for boosting morale among employees. Communication, employee recognition, breaks, team building activities, workspace diversity, scheduling, and leadership are tactics for better team performance and success.

Communication is Key

Communication is vital to any relationship. The relationship between employer and employee is no different. Communication is two-fold. It works to clarify the job expectations of the employee. It also works to build social relationships between both parties.

It is no secret that team members respond better with open communication. Boosted communication leads to positive attitudes. Employees willingly work better when they:

Understand their roles and responsibilities

Feel as though their pain points are being heard

See effective changes to company culture

Here are a few communication strategies to boost your team’s low morale in 2022:

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Management Software

Management software streamlines processes and employee activity. Several management software options exist. The trick is finding the one or ones that fit your team best.

Slack: As a management software, Slack provides businesses with a streamlined hub for communication. Team members can choose between chat rooms, private groups, and private messaging. Slack uses channels to differentiate between different teams and projects.

Jira: Jira is another type of management software. Team members, project managers, and employers can perform each track-specific task, project timelines, and more through assigned tickets.

Trello: Similar to Jira, Trello is a type of management software that organizes team projects by categorizing cards. Different collaborators, employees, project managers, and employers can assign tasks, check timelines, and notify other users of any issues.

Open Communication or Open Door Policy

The next major player in boosting team communication is open communication. An open-door policy is one of the best methods for sharing and gathering information with all team members from top to bottom and vice versa.

Free-flowing communication decreases turnover, increases productivity, increases job knowledge, and raises low morale. By definition, an open-door policy is a process that enables employees to freely communicate with managers, directors, and senior or C-Suite executives about work-related issues or struggles, personal problems that may affect work, and feedback relating to management or instruction styles.

When appropriately used, open communication can lead to:

Higher levels of communication

Removing barriers to communication between management and employees

Brainstorming for new ideas to tackle team projects

A positive work culture

Increased trust

Check-Ins

Teams need consistency to build communication and, in turn, boost morale. Team check-ins daily, weekly, bi, or tri-weekly are options to do just that. Check-ins allow teams to gauge productivity and progress throughout the week, build relationships, provide a sense of responsibility for everyone involved, and allow any issues to be addressed and resolved together.

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Transparent Information Breakdowns

Conversations can be misheard and misquoted. Employers should strive to institute transparent information breakdowns for all employees. This promotes clarity and communication.

Information can get lost. To avoid communication breakdown, try:

Making goals clear

Write all relevant information down.

Repeat important information

Utilize active listening

Take advantage of memos and emails.

Understand Different Communication Styles for Different Team Members

There is no one way to communicate with all employees. Everyone is different. A significant step in building team communication is knowing the best ways to communicate with employees individually.

There are five communication styles. Learn how each one works and which employees benefit from which tactics.

Assertive Communication: Assertive communication is the most effective communication style. This style of communication promotes healthy and open communication. It allows all recipients to speak equally and provides a safe and transparent environment for them to do so.

Aggressive Communication: Aggressive communication is highly ineffective. Communicators who use this type of communication can be hostile. They speak openly, directly, and dominantly. To combat aggressive communication: Let the communicator finish their thought.

Empathize with their issue

Identify the problem

Offer solutions

Passive Communication: Passive communication is when an individual agrees to an opinion without hesitation. Communicators who are passive do not share their thoughts. They wish to remain indifferent to the topic at hand. Passive communication can be problematic and can lead to passive-aggressive communication.

Submissive Communication: Submissive communicators empathize highly with the other people in the conversation. This type of communicator will prioritize others' needs above their own and will not share their own opinions. Submissive communication is ineffective. If an employee shows submissive communication, try to ask about their thoughts and feelings.

Manipulative Communication: When an employee uses manipulative communication, they share their opinion on a given subject, but their point of view also promotes a self-advantage. Manipulative communicators are often ineffective, and other team members deem them untrustworthy.

Request Feedback

No one is perfect. One of the best methods of promoting communication within a team is to request feedback. Feedback is essential for every member of the team. It promotes equality and provides a genuine assessment that can lead to effective change.

Give Employee Recognition

Honoring hard work and dedication is critical to building relationships and increasing job retention. Everyone wants to be acknowledged for their contributions. Recognition helps make your job worthwhile. Valued employees are happy employees. Increase job satisfaction and employee engagement with these tips:

Personalized notes or acknowledgments for performance or attitude

Recognize good work by announcing team members individually in team meetings or check-ins

Create an event to honor the team’s efficiency, productivity, and success.

Deciding to employ employee recognition is a must. When you do, keep this in mind:

Consider who is delivering the message.

Find the right time to show recognition.

Acknowledge your team’s success in public and in private. Public gestures are thoughtful, but personal gestures hold similar meanings.

The bottom line is that recognition is essential. If the metrics show that teamwork has been a success, your employees deserve an award for their hard work.

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Embrace Breaks

It may not seem like much, but increased work-hour breaks are essential in improved communication and boosting your team performance. Employees who get up and move around at least five minutes every hour are happier, healthier, and more productive team members with less burnout and better work-life balance.

Of course, you can not force an employee to take a break. And research suggests that is precisely what happens. But you can encourage breaks. Hard work is essential, but it is not all that matters.

A break is not merely stopping work and eating at your desk. Genuine breaks are time spent away from the desk or the office. The time out helps to reduce stress and allows creativity to flow freely.

Team Building Activities

Not only does increased communication stem from technological resources and open-door policies. Increased communication arises from successful relationships of team members through team-building activities.

Team building activities constitute games, meetings, or events to boost team morale, increase team communication, and build healthy team relationships. Managers and supervisors can choose from a variety of team-building activities. Chosen activities depend on:

The combined personalities of your employees

If the team is new or if the team is existing

What the team collectively enjoys doing

Team building activities are a creative way to build a non-complex and more relaxed work environment where employees are valued and heard. Standard team building activities include:

Team dinners

Office games

Office holiday parties

Work-hour team outings

Office or team retreats

Mental health days

Promote Workspace Diversity

Strong workplace culture depends on the office and team reflecting the world we live in. Team dynamics are bettered when more than one opinion is presented. Diversity helps foster that environment.

Diversity qualifies as race, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, religion, sexual orientation, and political beliefs. Research shows that twenty-two percent of new hires are not Caucasian. At least fifty-seven percent of women now make up the workforce but are less than five percent of CEOs and founders.

Companies that promote diversity in any area are prone to higher team performance and engagement levels. Diversity fosters community and integration of ideas, philosophy, and differing opinions.

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Stick to the Schedule

Check-ins are a great communication tool. Schedules are similar in that they help boost your team's morale. Scheduled events or meetings have a purpose.

Sticking to team meetings or events schedule displays consistency and dedication to the work goals. Scheduled events or conferences are also the best time and place to share any team needs or concerns that lead to better communication practices.

As we know, work-life balance is the best way to increase team performance and engagement. Along with providing consistency, scheduling works to improve work-life balance. Listening to and understanding your team's needs regarding off-days, flex times, and scheduling conflicts improve their satisfaction, productivity, and efficiency for the team.

Lead by Example

A team leader, manager, director, or CEO drives the company culture. As a pinnacle for high morale, leaders are a shining example. There is no perfect leader, nor is there an ideal way to lead. However, there are tips one can employ to boost employee morale:

Be involved in day-to-day work activities

Be clear about what you say and aware of how you say it

Be respectful

Empathize and listen to your team

Be responsible for your team's actions

Do not micro-manage

Listen to your advice. Be sure to take a mental health day when you need it.

How Will You Boost Your Team in 2022?

Is high morale unachievable in 2022? The answer is no. The pandemic has shifted the employment landscape, but changes must be made to accommodate the workforce better. Boost your team requires communication, employee recognition, proper breaks, team building activities, better scheduling, and leading by example.

Instilling proper communication means utilizing tactics like open-door policies, management software, and understanding the different contact styles to help increase team performance.

Nothing says boosted morale like acknowledging all the hard work employees do to ensure the company is successful. Employee recognition is the best way to do just that. Whether publicly or privately, find the time to tell your team you see their performance, and they deserve a job well done.

Team building activities and workplace diversity are two cornerstones of increased team morale. Each strategy allows for differing viewpoints that come together and create a bond that brings forth new ideas and changes that enhance the team for the better.

Other ways to boost your team are to promote mental health and wellness through breaks and scheduling. Success and efficiency are essential, but you never want to jeopardize wellness for success.

Lastly, leading by example is how every supervisory role should strive—doing the work, understanding the pain points, and taking the necessary criticisms to create successful and increased team performance.

2022 may have some challenging goals to meet, but you can rest assured implementing these strategies for boosting morale will help your team reach their goals and so much more.