If you want an exceptional team, you have to give potential job candidates reasons to be employees. Employee morale has a lot to do with that. Let’s talk about what it actually is and how you can exhibit it to job candidates to make sure they understand that the company is a place where they – and their efforts – will be valued and appreciated.
What is employee morale?
Employee morale is how current employees feel about their role within a company, the business itself, and their overall job satisfaction level. The higher the employee morale, the more likely employees are to be productive, engaged, and stay with the company for as long as possible.
What can hurt employee morale?
A negative work environment can be detrimental to employee morale. For leaders, this may include:
- Not addressing employee needs and concerns
- Putting employees down
- Not being understanding as a boss
- Allowing free-flowing gossip
- Not recognizing employee efforts
- Making unreasonable demands
- Not being transparent
Yes, the goal of a business is to make money, but many companies can’t do that unless they have a competent team working with them. The best way to get and retain a skilled team goes beyond pay and perks to ensure they feel appreciated as employees and, overall, as human beings.
How to show employee morale to job candidates
Exhibiting employee morale to job candidates is one of the best methods for getting potential employees to consider working with a company. There are multiple ways, such as the five below, for how you can showcase the company in the best light.
- Be transparent
Honesty and transparency are essential no matter what you discuss during the interview process. This goes for whether you’re offering up information or answering questions. Many job candidates can sense nonsense and won’t be thrilled if they pick up on it. If they feel you’re not being completely truthful in the interview, they likely won’t be comfortable signing on as an employee.
- Explain the perks
The perks beyond the paycheck are major draws of working for a company. For example, does the employer offer a remote working option or have flexible schedules available? Consider making a list and presenting it to the job candidates so they can see in front of them and review all the opportunities available.
- Give examples of employee camaraderie
No one wants to work in a company where there’s a lot of drama, gossip, and figurative backstabbing. The more employees get along, the better it is for morale.
Provide job candidates with examples of employee camaraderie. For instance, you can mention if everyone (willingly) goes out together once a week, there are celebrations (such as for birthdays), and there are recognition programs.
- Explain leadership’s role in employee morale
Having a boss who doesn’t seem to care about their employees can easily drag down morale. It’s better for companies to have leaders who employees talk about to others in a positive way, and those people say, “I wish my boss was like that.”
Let job candidates know how leadership plans to support their role in the company. Having an open door policy, welcoming (and implementing) employee feedback, recognizing birthdays and other special occasions, acknowledging exceptional work, trusting employees, and giving credit where credit is due are only some of the many ways leaders show support for a positive work environment.
- Inform about career development opportunities
The more knowledge an employee gains, the more valuable they can be for the company. Encouraging career development, such as if employees want to attend a specific conference, can be wonderful for helping to keep the company strong and moving in a positive direction.
Be sure to note whether the company offers career development opportunities, such as certification stipends and mentorship programs.
What it comes down to is genuinely wanting to foster a positive work environment and being committed to continuously maintaining and improving employee morale. Having the chance to work for a boss who cares can mean more to potential job candidates than some companies may realize.
Taylor McKnight is a Digital PR Specialist representing Sterling Hawkins, a leading expert in organizational culture.
