10 Low Cost, Creative Ideas To Improve Morale,
Enhance Productivity, and Make Your Workplace More Fun
By Barbara A. Glanz

Study after study has shown that what workers want from their jobs is not better benefits or more money. Rather, it is the small things that make workers feel commitment to an organization. One study shows the top three things workers want are interesting work, full appreciation for the work they do, and a feeling of being in on things.

What seems critical, then, in workplaces today is for leaders to respond to workers as HUMAN BEINGS and to foster an atmosphere that is inclusive, caring, creative, appreciative and joyful.

In my book CARE Packages for the Workplace—Dozens of Little Things You Can Do to Regenerate Spirit at Work (McGraw-Hill 1996), I have used the acronym CARE as the elements of a spirited workplace:

C = Creative Communication
A = Atmosphere and Appreciation for All
R = Respect and Reason for Being
E = Empathy and Enthusiasm

In each of the chapters I have included dozens of mostly no-cost or low cost ideas which can be implemented almost immediately in today’s workplaces to engender a new spirit of commitment and joy.

Let’s look at 10 of my favorite ideas, ideas which you can adapt and introduce in your organization to make an immediate difference in spirit, and impact productivity and profit.

1. Does everyone in your organization have business cards? If not, that is one of the fastest ways to boost morale. They can be made on the computer for little or no cost, and what a meaningful way to tell an employee how valued and important he or she is.
   
   
2. Collect drawings from employee's children or grandchildren of "What my Mom / Dad / Grandma / Grandpa / Aunt / Uncle does at work all day." Compile these into a company booklet or display them for customers to enjoy. You are helping to blend work and family by involving workers’ family members, and you are also creating a memory.
   
   
3. Keep a bulletin board in your office of pictures of repeat customers and their families. This will not only help build relationships as you collect the pictures, but it will also remind everyone in the organization of WHY they have a job! Send birthday cards to them on their special day and congratulations cards when they achieve either a personal or a business success. Have another board where you post pictures of employees’ families, weddings, graduations, vacations, new grandchildren, and other successes. Thus, you will be celebrating their loyalty as well!
   
   
4. For an all-company celebration, in small groups creatively dramatize significant events from the year or from the company's history, or even a company legend. These can be presented either live or videotaped. This experience will bring out talent and creativity that you didn’t even know you had, and it will also be a teambuilding experience for everyone.
   
   
5. Once a month encourage the senior managers to do something creative for all employees or for employees in their divisions: cook them breakfast, bring around an ice cream cart, serve them doughnuts and coffee, wash the windshields of their cars as they arrive at work, or even take them all to lunch. These small acts of appreciation will be remembered and talked about for weeks!
   
   
6. Add a personal signature to your work to differentiate yourself from all the others who do the same work as you. An HR manager keeps a basket of Beanie Babies in her office to encourage visitors to relax. She asks them to choose their favorite to hold as they talk. A United Airlines Captain on each of his flights writes handwritten thank you notes to several passengers whom he picks at random from the computer, thanking them for choosing his airline and offering his help in any way they might need. A grocery store bagger always puts a “Thought for the Day” in each person’s groceries he bags. As employees begin to find ways to express themselves in their work by adding a personal signature, your workplace will become more caring, creative, and much more fun!
   
   
7. Add a quotation, graphic, cartoon, or seasonal reminder to memos and fax cover sheets. Make them fun and interesting! Most fax cover sheets I see are extremely boring, and the organization has missed a wonderful opportunity to make an impression, differentiate itself, and communicate their ideas and values.
   
   
8. Take a look at your office — what does it say about your Human level? Always display in your office one or two reminders of things you really love. Not only will it be more comfortable for you because it reminds you of the really important things in your life, but it will also help others to connect with you more quickly.
   
   
9. Post "Street" signs to name hallways in your building. Choose names which communicate your company's mission or values or relate to your core business.
   
   
10. Think of something creative you could offer your customers as a "free" sample. The Savings Bank of Rockford, CT, gives its customers a dime taped on a fold-over card that says, "Who says we don't give free samples?" Everyone loves giveaways, and these can also become powerful marketing tools.
    

Remember that it truly is the little things that really count. You may decide to try one new idea a month, or form a Spirit Committee and have them design a plan to incorporate some of these things into your culture, or simply use these ideas to get your own creative juices going to come up with other ideas that your employees will enjoy. Often we get so bogged down in the business (paperwork, meetings, legal requirements) that we forget the important things. You are the champion of the people. Take that role even more seriously and help create an atmosphere that produces peak performers and committed, joyful workers. Have fun and keep CARE-ing!