70% of employees are disengaged at work. Believe it or not, altogether, these disengaged employees cost US businesses $550 billion each year.

Since that’s the case, it’s certainly worth doing all that is within your power to boost workplace morale. This, in turn, will increase the likelihood of employee engagement. Try out these tricks to create an inviting environment in that employees will thrive:

01. Be open and transparent about communication:

Have more than just an open-door policy. Sometimes employees need more personal interaction, even if it’s talking while walking around the outside of your building. Especially when it comes to inner office arguments.  

02. Praise your employees often:

Yes, employees are paid to do a job. But sometimes you can turn around someone’s day and make them happier workers by just telling them how good they did on a project.

03. Brainstorm ideas with your staff:

Your employees are geniuses, so pick their brains. Great leaders understand that they are not the only people capable of making good decisions or coming up with innovative ideas. To increase office morale, tell your employees you’re always open to hearing their ideas. And turn the right ones into reality.

04. Plan fun non-work activities:

Shrewd managers understand the importance of team-building exercises. But don’t just assume that your staff will have a blast at any outside-the-office activity. You know your team better than anyone else does (or at least you should), so plan exciting after-hours activities that your employees will look forward to. You don’t want them to dread giving up their Thursday night, for example. Make it fun.

05. Embrace flexible working:

It used to be that work was done between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., but that’s clearly no longer the case. According to CNN, more than anything else, today’s workers want flexible schedules, i.e., the ability to work when they want and where they want, so long as they do their jobs and do them well. At the end of the day, does it really matter whether your staff comes in super exhausted every morning at 9 a.m.? Letting your employees work at the most convenient times is a surefire way to boost morale.

06. Feed your employees good food:

We all need to eat and maintain a good energy level. Take Enviro USA our owner from time to time will bring in homemade waffles or BBQ which are to die for. Or maybe once a month do an office pot-luck and sit down and chat over good food.

07. Redecorate your office:

When was the last time you changed the way your office looks? If it’s been a while, it may be time to embark on a fun project with your team on a random Friday afternoon. Redecorating the office during work hours is certainly a change of pace. It’s also a team-building exercise that could make employees feel as though they own more of the business when all is said and done.

08. Enable your staff to pursue pet projects:

So long as they’re doing their jobs, when employees are motivated to pursue new initiatives, by all means, let them. This is not a foreign concept. Just consider Google’s famous 20% time, which essentially allows Googlers to spend one day each week working on what they think will most benefit Google — without anyone staring over their shoulders. This perk led to the creation of Google News, Gmail, and AdSense.

09. Give your employees more PTO:

This one should be a no-brainer, but maybe it isn’t: everybody likes paid time off. Giving your team extra days off will almost certainly boost morale — and quickly.

10. Incentivize your staff:

Whether it’s an extra day off, a gift certificate, or the ability to play DJ in the office on a Friday, workers are motivated by incentives. The more incentives you offer, the stronger office morale will be, as folks will work hard to receive additional rewards and recognition.

11. Allow staff members to exercise during the day:

Science shows that exercise is great for worker productivity. But with so much on their plates every day, it can be difficult for employees to find the time to exercise. Problem solved: encourage your employees to exercise during the day. That way, they’ll be able to break up their days and won’t have to worry about cramming in some gym time before or after work.

Office morale can be a hard beast to tame. But it’s worth noting that morale can be drastically improved overnight. Just put yourself in your employee’s shoes. What if your boss, back in the day, all of a sudden decided to give staff members two extra days off each year? It’s highly likely that the move would have made you considerably happier.