Have you ever experienced uncontrollable laughter due to another person laughing? On the flip side, has your mood ever turned sour when crossed with an unhappy person? You don’t need a scientific study to realize that vibes are infectious, both positive and negative. So, we’ll just come out and say it: happy employees equals happy customers. If your employees are all gloom and doom, chances are your customers aren’t the happiest campers, either. As the old saying goes, misery loves company, and that means happiness loves company too. When it comes to the workplace, happiness comes from the inside out. So, here are three ways you can improve employee morale:

Plan Team Building Activities

Having buddies at work makes going to the office much more exciting. If your employees look forward to going to work, the more likely they are to stay with your company. Encouraging coworkers to get to know each other outside the office can strengthen relationships in the workplace, which, as numerous studies suggests, can lead to increased productivity and improved morale. Team building activities needn’t be elaborate. They can be as simple as a night of bowling, go-carting, or karaoke.

Welcome Flex Schedules

Flex work arrangements are quickly phasing out the traditional 9-5 setup. Depending on your work environment, it might be worth hopping on board. For many employees, satisfaction at the workplace isn’t about salary increases or perks, it’s about freedom – the freedom to work on their own time. Allowing flexibility reduces stress for your employees, which will boost their productivity at the office.

Allow Remote Working

More and more, employees are looking to work from home. One reason being is that they have the tools to do so. Another perk of working remotely is not having to take a grueling, often stressful commute. When it comes to working from home, there are two types of people: those who will get nothing done and those who will get a whole lot more done. Allowing competent employees to occasionally work from home says that you trust their judgement, commitment, and time-management abilities, and this will increase feelings of respect on their side.

Closing

The link between employees and customers isn’t hard to see. Your employees and your customers are intrinsically linked, so it’s important that your employees have an environment in which they feel comfortable, encouraged, and respected. Moods are contagious, after all.