Every workplace deals with people feeling burnt out or like their work doesn’t matter. When morale is low, employers must implement tactics to raise their employees’ moods.

If a leader shows they value their workers, employees will feel more welcomed and important — and their work ethic can reflect that notion. Supply chain professionals can try various techniques to ensure their employees know just how valued they are.

1. Listen to Feedback

To show staff they care, employers should try listening to all the feedback they receive. This evaluation will tell them whether they need to change something and how to do it. Executives can cultivate a community-type atmosphere where communication is encouraged and welcomed, even between peers.

The best way for peers to give one another feedback is for someone to teach them what quality dialogue looks like. Putting together a string of constructive comments is the best way to have a positive experience rather than a negative, destructive one. Employers can create a more caring environment by welcoming input as a part of workplace culture.

2. Support Employees Wholeheartedly

The greatest leaders want the best for their workers. It can be challenging to know what people need from time to time, so an excellent measure an employer can take is to support their staff wholeheartedly. By knowing their executive is in their corner, employees may be more likely to do a better job at work and take what they do seriously.

Sometimes, work can drag a person’s mental health down, which can then affect their physical health. Supply chain professionals should consider hosting monthly check-ins to see where their employees’ or contractors’ brains are. Having regular check-ins will normalize the topic of mental health in the workplace and help employees feel like they have somewhere to go when they’re in crisis.

Leaders should also prepare protocols for any instances where an employee has a mental health crisis. Executives should liberally share mental health resources around the workplace so anyone who needs help can access them. When an employer cares about their staff’s mental health, it shows how they run a business.

3. Opt for Flex Work

Flexible work is an excellent alternative to rigid work hours. As long as a company has plenty of work to be done at different hours, letting employees come in at staggered times according to what works best with their schedule would be a great idea. Doing so would allow workers with children to take their kids to school or pick them up in the afternoon. It would also enable them to care for or check in on loved ones.

Plus, some people work better earlier in the morning, while others are better suited to work evenings and nights. The time they’re most productive may not always fit with their schedule. If employees could choose their schedules more easily, they may be more likely to enjoy the place they’re working for.

4. Build a Trustworthy Company Culture

Company culture is everything to the people who work there. Executives want to make sure the environment is friendly and welcoming to everyone and work is a comfortable place to be rather than one that brings unnecessary stress. Employees who feel they can trust their coworkers could be more likely to get along with each other and enjoy the company culture their employer has fostered.

According to Glassdoor’s 2019 Mission & Culture Survey, more than 77% of adults in the U.S., UK, France and Germany said they would consider a company’s culture before they applied to work there. How a company is run and how tightly-knit the community is could determine whether people want to join the team. A close team can talk about their successes and setbacks together without fear.

5. Recognize Hard Work

Even when employers can’t give their workers a raise, they can still acknowledge all the hard work they’ve done. Recognition of good employee behavior can motivate those people to do better in the future and encourage others to emulate their actions. Nominating an “Employee of the Month” might be one way for employers to show appreciation for those who go above and beyond in their workplace.

Another way for supply chain executives to show they appreciate their employees could be by setting stretch goals. When everyone in a team reaches a particular quota — such as a productivity score or number of hours — they can have some reward. Implementing non-monetary prizes are still ways to get employees involved in the fun that work can be.

6. Advocate for Work-Life Balance

Employees can’t be expected to carry work with them throughout their lives. They have other responsibilities and worries — such as maintaining a fitness routine or taking care of a household — so they shouldn’t have to dedicate most of their lives to work. The employer who understands employees need a stable work-life balance may retain more workers in the long run.

Work-life balance is hard to attain for many people. Leaders should encourage workers to communicate when they feel overwhelmed or have difficulty separating their personal and professional lives. Employers should constantly look for ways to make their employees feel more comfortable in the workplace. This way, they can look to work as a space where they can expect less stress rather than a place that adds more of it to their lives.

7. Get Together Regularly

All teams should try to get together regularly, whether they’re in-person or remote. Executives can try to host a get-together outside of work hours. They might opt for a virtual happy hour where employees can see one another on their screens or they could get together for team-building exercises.

Regular meetings can help staff feel like they belong to a team. Employees can feel free to share their weekly highs and lows at this meeting, whether about work or their personal lives. Employers can also organize team-building activities and other games their workers could enjoy together.

Boosting Morale Shows Kindness

Everybody wants to work for a company they know cares about them. When employers ensure their employees are comfortable, the staff could do a better job. Boosted morale might be as simple as making workers feel valued.

When people know they’re important, they may be more likely to do their jobs more efficiently and boost their productivity. Professionals are professionals for a reason — they just have to have the right working environment to perform to their best ability.