Negativity in the workplace can drag the whole team down. Poor morale leads to less productive – and sometimes even fewer – employees. Only 11% of workers feel energized! The others may be contributing to a more dysfunctional office.

But how can you help your employees?

Dn’t worry, we got you! Encouraging physical and emotional wellness at work will help you bring your team back to a good place. Naturally, as a leader you’ll need to model these behaviors.

1. Move it!

Sitting is bad for us physically, and it also drains our energy. If you and your employees are usually at a desk, find ways to encourage moving around.

Onsite gym? Yoga classes? If those don’t fit your vibe (or your budget), try some other methods for movement.

Standing desks? Walking meetings? Step contests? Have some fun exploring ways to motivate more motion during the workday (if your team doesn’t already do physical tasks.)

2. Negotiate stress

People tend to think of stress as a bad thing, and certainly it can be. But there’s also the “good” kind of stress that motivates.

When you and the team achieve a goal, you’ll all be rewarded with a rush of “feel-good” chemicals in your brain. Going through this kind of stress occasionally doesn’t cause the kind of chronic inflammation that’s dangerous.

To lower the “bad” level of stress, make sure you’re showing the team that you’re all in it together. That way they won’t feel like no one has their back. 

In addition, mindfulness and staying in the present helps workers focus and spend less time worrying. Providing meditation or other mindfulness workshops can boost morale.

3. Buddy up

Encourage the team to bond, and let them have opportunities to do so! Research shows that women who have strong friendships at work are over twice as likely to be engaged while they’re working.

How can you promote a buddy system? In addition to happy hours, how about team volunteering? Offsites with time away from the classroom are great too.

Summary

With a little effort and leadership on your part, you can make the workplace a better place to be for your team. Incorporate what we now know about exercise and stress to promote healthy behaviors.

And stay safe!

Do you do anything in your workplace to bolster employee morale? Let us know in the comments!