Once you have determined your various opportunities for improvement, you have to decide what you can do about it. In some situations, you won’t have any control over the complaint; like an employee who wants a larger salary but you just do not have the budget to pay that employee what he or she wants. Also, some employees may make complaints that are petty, and it is your job to decide which causes are of real concern and which are just employees being unrealistic with their expectations.

It is also up to you to decide which causes you are going to address to improve morale in your workplace. Once you have a list developed, tackle each issue in a manner in which all employees can see. Just as there are sure to be many petty grievances related to low morale, there will be many complaints that are easily and quickly fixed. These issues are the easiest to correct, so address them first.

If a complaint from an employee was that a lack of training was making them feel inadequate, create a company paid training program. It’s easy and something that you should be doing regardless to improve the knowledge of your staff and to keep them up-to-date with their skills.

Take bigger problems, such as employee benefits or compensation standards, seriously by initiating the needed management discussions and investigations as soon as possible. Address your workforce face-to-face and make it known that you are aware of the issues and doing everything in your power to improve them. State that not all changes take place overnight, but you are working towards a resolution. Ask for your employee’s patience and thank them for making you aware of the problem. This shows that you are serious about change and your employees appreciate being included in major decisions within the company.

Because communication is the lifeline of any company – big or small – make the effort to keep your employees informed at all times. If there are outstanding issues, send weekly emails, post notices, or have meetings to discuss the status and progress toward the issue resolution. Keeping up-to-speed on matters of value will build a good rapport between management and employees.

Some other key points to keep in mind related to improving or maintaining good morale include:

  • Encourage employees to discuss their problems in a constructive and appropriate manner
  • Protect employees from unfair criticism
  • Develop a set of guidelines for salary and for reviews
  • Make training available where necessary
  • Encourage employee rotation where applicable to keep employees and positions fresh with ideas and new life
  • Implement a rewards program for overachievers to show your appreciation