As many business leaders know, maintaining good morale amongst employees is a very advantageous thing to do. This is the case for many reasons, including the fact that employee morale is directly related to productivity. In short, employees who are dissatisfied or stressed experience a plunge in productivity. Upon recognizing this, it seems clear that business owners and managers interested in heightening the productivity of their organizations should do all that they can to boost morale. Here are four effective ways to do so:

Reward Good Work With Affirming Acts

Oftentimes, whether consciously or unconsciously, members of management forget to thank employees who have done an exceptional job. This omission is highly problematic and potentially dangerous given that it can lead employees to believe that their work is not valued. When this happens, the incentive to operate in excellence and with expediency will often decline. For this reason, employers who want to ensure that their staff recognizes the great value they have should take time to celebrate their small successes. There are several ways to do so, including offering a simple and sincere “thank you” or rewarding employees who perform exceptionally well with bonuses or time off.

Set Team Goals

While some might not think that there is a connection between the establishment of team goals and boosting employee morale, there is. In short, when people sense that their employers believe they can accomplish an at least somewhat difficult task, they are often motivated to try. There are a variety of team goals that a business owner or manager can put in place, and making them effective should be contingent upon the SMART principle. The acronym, whose letters represent the importance of making one’s goal specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-specific-will increase the likelihood that it is realized by employees. When this happens, employees will likely be motivated to tackle other challenges that both boost morale and increase incoming revenue and the reputation of the company.

Don’t Disrupt Schedules

As many know, office morale is subject to decline when employees feel that they are not permitted time to address their social, personal, and family obligations when they are not working. Of course, there will probably be times in which a business is grappling with a deadline that necessitates a schedule disruption. Employees should understand this and have the minimal level of dedication to the company that makes working in these tight situations possible. Nevertheless, continually disrupting an employee’s personal life for the purpose of having them complete work-related tasks can be viewed as a sign of subtle disrespect, thereby decreasing morale.

While the aforementioned three tips designed to raise team morale can help your company experience greater levels of success, there are several other strategies you can employ. Here are four:

• Confront frustrations head on
• Be willing to learn from your employees
• Complete random acts of kindness
• Lead by example

As indicated above, doing things like rewarding productivity and setting team goals can drastically improve the morale of your team members. When implemented, the strategies outlined above will enable everyone to work in a more positive environment.