Simple Ways to Improve Employee Morale

Keeping your workforce motivated when times are tough for both businesses and individuals can be difficult. The issue becomes even trickier if you do not have much money available to reward staff who do a good job or incentivise them to achieve the company's goals.

Many organisations have struggled to find the funds needed for annual wage rises in recent years, so have also been unable to offer discretionary pay increases. If your business is in that position, you should examine what improvements you can make to the employee benefits scheme.

The expense involved means items like private health insurance are off the agenda, but there are some simple things you can do that will help to improve the senior management team's relationship with other staff. They do not have to cost a lot, but workers will appreciate the fact the company has thought about them.

One option well worth looking at is setting up a flexible gift card scheme. Such programmes involve a salary exchange, in which staff agree to have a portion of their wages paid into a benefits account rather than their usual bank.

They can spend this money at a variety of high street stores using the flexible gift card they will receive. It entitles them to an ongoing seven per cent discount, so will help them to make their money go a little bit further when they are out shopping.

Among the attractive things about this sort of scheme from an employee's point of view is that the sum they pay in can be changed each month. If they need all their spare cash for something else they can contribute less, but if they are saving towards something, such as the arrival of a new baby, they can add more.

Your business will discover this is a cost-effective method of internal PR, as it will help to improve your workforce's view of the company. The only expense involved is a small annual subscription charge for each employee and, in return for that, the specialist organising the programme will take care of the bulk of the administration.

There is no need to worry about your workers losing their money from a flexible gift card scheme, as the funds will be held in trust. The only thing you need to check is that the business you use to run the programme is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

One popular variation is the Christmas savings scheme. Staff pay a proportion of their wages into it throughout the year and then receive a flexible gift card or vouchers - complete with a bonus sum added - in November to use for present shopping.

To find out more about employee benefits schemes, get in touch with Love2reward.