As college students, our world revolves around two main focuses: our social life and our academic life. Our social life is all about making friends, having fun and embarking on different experiences. Our academic life is somewhat different. It’s all about trying to score the top grades to get those top jobs.
Elizabeth Haller, B&W Staff
We all strive for success, but the meaning of success is different to every person. While some focus on more of the materialistic things, such as a big house and a fancy car, others see success as doing what they love to do even when they know it will not make them wealthy.
The job market gets more competitive each day as more college graduates enter the “real” world. As you prepare to enter, there might come a point where you go against your better judgment and try to get ahead. Once that happens, it can lead to situations that you might regret, and in some cases hurt people that you care about.
Recently, I came across a quote from Ralph Marston of The Daily Motivator in my Twitter feed.
The quote read, “If you have to be someone you don’t want to be in order to attain success, is that really success? If you must compromise your values to get what you want, is that really what you want?”
This got me thinking about how my own specific values and morals could, at times, be compromised in the workplace. If you do, in fact, find a job where the workplace morale is high, those employees are more likely to perform well and want to do more for their company than employees who work for a company that does not put company morale first. Working for a company that has high morale has a direct correlation with job satisfaction.
According to hcareers.com, the key to achieving job satisfaction in employees starts with management. When board members agree on topics as one, it prevents confusion in the workplace. It also helps when everyone in the workplace knows what tasks are expected of them, which makes the workplace not only run smoothly, but enables its employees to get tasks done faster.
Another key component to achieve job satisfaction is the amount of respect, value and appreciation employees have for one another. Providing timely feedback is key to helping employees know if something in their work needs to be changed. Also, if an employee is performing well at work, getting positive feedback will only make the employee want to continue performing well.
The website also notes that having an optimal work environment is giving the respect that your employees deserve.
As hcareers.com states, “Morale-boosting efforts should be part of the workplace culture, resulting in climate that fosters all of these elements: a sense of ownership among staff, validation and appreciation for quality work and employee growth opportunities — on an ongoing basis.” When these elements are put together, the company will only flourish.
Forbes.com reports that the top way to increase employee morale and performance is to give the employees a reason to believe. The first step is showing employees that they are part of something bigger than themselves. In the interviewing process, it is important for potential candidates to understand what the vision of the company is and how they are going to get there.
In addition to keeping the company’s values intact and maintaining a happy workforce, it is also important to encourage employees to pursue projects that employees are passionate about. According to entrepreneur.com, granting employees a way to work on individual projects not only gives employees a creative outlet to explore, but can also be a stress reliever.
The Sydney Company Atlassian is just one company that has adapted this form of work. Employees have a specific time to work on a project of their choice and then present their idea and findings to management. Since implementing this program, the company has adopted dozens of projects.
Showing employees that you care is another way that can contribute to high company morale. By showing employees that management cares, it shows employees that they are valued, not just as employees, but as part of a family.
It can be hard to determine if a company has good morals and values from looking at the company from the outside. By researching and understanding the background of the company, you will be able to see if the company is a perfect fit for you and if you are the perfect fit for them, as well.
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