A recent article published by ‘gethppy’, The HR & Employee Engagement Community, explained the importance of employee morale and stated 5 ways to increase it if this is something your workplace lacks. While reading the article I was pleased to notice that Nova Futur fulfils every point they include!
First I will explain the importance of ensuring high morale in the work-place:
High morale reduces employee turnover and increases productivity levels. At the end of the day, a ‘company’ is the people hired to do the work and turn the internal gears, and without them, the company goals and objectives cannot be achieved. Therefore, ensuring the employees are happy and thriving in the workplace environment will in turn ensure that the company thrives. Here are some ways in which Nova Futur increases employee morale.
It is essential to acknowledge and reward employees for all their hard work, as it will encourage them to maintain the same high standards and can potentially prevent them from leaving the business for a competitor as they feel highly valued.
At Nova Futur, we have done this by creating the “Appreciation” slack channel.
People post on here their appreciation and congratulations for a job well done! Every time your name is tagged in the channel, you receive karma points! I wonder who has the most by the end of each month?
It is an easy way to recognise and commend the work of a colleague and any member of the company can write in the channel.
Whether someone swooped in and saved the day at the final hour, or your team completed the goal they have been working towards for the last 6 months, show your appreciation in the channel.
Finding ways to improve productivity by removing the need to perform monotonous and soul-destroying tasks, is a must.
Nova Futur does not shy away from investing in a technology that will aid the productivity of its employees. In fact, we have regular check in’s with our team-members to see if there are any ways we can improve and support them.
For example, our developer teams have a Retrospective meeting at the end of each 2 week sprint to discuss what went well and what could be improved going forward. These are open conversations that allow anyone in the team to share their thoughts and ideas for consideration, and have led to some positive changes in our process.
It is vital that employees feel they have the freedom to explore and pursue passion projects outside of their work responsibilities.
Not only can this provide a mental break from their daily responsibilities but it can also lead to employees developing more creative ideas or identifying gaps in the market, which could help the business to grow.
Nova Futur accomplishes this through “Share & Learn” sessions and their “Hackathon” events.
In a “Share & Learn” meeting, people are able to present and discuss anything interesting and relevant to the company’s field of work.
It could be a new project direction, or a discussion about a new area of research that might impact what we do/how the industry works.
The main aim of these sessions is to share knowledge and spark engaging debates between people in all areas of the company.
During a “Hackathon”, participants are tasked with creating and presenting an idea that could either change the way in which we work, or could introduce a new project for the company.
The hackathon is the perfect opportunity to explore new technologies or make a case for pursuing a project internally. It also provides the chance to work with people outside of your immediate team and to have some fun!
People today have more options than ever to work wherever and whenever they choose in this modern remote-working world, so why should they work for you?
By making time for fun you are letting the employees know that you value them and their time, not just the quantity and quality of work they can produce.
At Nova Futur we have definitely incorporated time for fun.
As our London office is in a WeWork, this means it is easy to organise casual after-work drinks followed by a game of pool or table tennis.
Working in a WeWork also means the dress code is smart but relaxed, allowing all employees the room to express themselves.
If this does not interest you, there is always the option to join the company football match on a Thursday.
Or if you would rather not have an after-work commitment, there are regular lunchtime treats where the company will order in food and people get an opportunity to relax and chat during their lunch-break.
Research has also found that 75% of people who voluntarily leave a company don’t quit their jobs, they quit their employer.
This is why it is important to take a vested interest in employees' lives and acknowledge their birthdays and important milestones within the company.
A way in which we do this is by wishing people a happy birthday within the company-wide slack channel.
Also, we ask employees on their birthday to select a cause from our charity organisation that we then donate £100 on their behalf.
We also celebrate and publicly share employee milestones on LinkedIn to celebrate them and their progress within the company.
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