Company culture has a tendency to either make or break a business, and at the core of the issue is employee morale. You aren’t likely to put your best effort forward when you’re feeling overwhelmed, underappreciated, and invisible, are you?

Didn’t think so. And once the vicious cycle of negativity starts, it’s hard to break. So here are three pretty simple ways that we use right here at CharTec to make sure our employees feel taken care of and appreciated. Take it from me, a living, breathing CharTec employee: I love coming to work in the mornings! Seriously. I voluntarily wrote that.

Employee Luncheons

I do not cook. I haven’t touched the stove in my house for the past couple months. I’m most certainly an anomaly, but this brings me to our first tip: feeding your people. The best thing about providing employees lunch is that it’s a quick and easy way to encourage teamwork and engagement. Departments that work in isolation or are situated across the building from one another now come together and everyone gets to mingle. I can have an enlightening conversation with Vanessa from finance while across the room a technician and our videographer are discussing the latest horror flick.

We get fed twice a week here at CharTec, but even instigating a monthly pizza party will help your employees connect with each other and create lasting relationships. Having a more personal connection with coworkers goes a long way when it comes to keeping spirits up and smiles on those faces.

Company Perks

If you create an environment at work that makes your employees feel special and pampered, they’re less likely to go elsewhere. Now, we aren’t recommending the immediate construction of a spa (although I doubt anyone would complain). Try investing in little things like a gourmet coffee maker in the breakroom with a selection of flavored creamers and syrups for that coffee-house experience. Or perhaps a monthly masseuse who makes sure your workers aren’t giving themselves life-long spinal issues. Here at CharTec we are not only honored with the aforementioned items, but we also have a fully-equipped gym so our employees can work out without making an extra stop on their way.

With special treats to differentiate you and your business from the crowd, your employees will feel like part of the cool kids club and it’ll foster loyalty and positivity to your company.

Inclusive Attitude

This one sounds a little vague, but let’s think about it for a moment. As humans, we’re social creatures. We appreciate being included and feeling like part of a group. We like being invited to events, even if we can’t go. It’s the thought that somewhere, someone wanted you to be part of something.

Treating your employees like equals and making sure they feel included is a small but significant step to boosting morale. If you’re in management, make sure that your team feels comfortable speaking to you. Invite them out to an after-work dinner to foster those relationships and show them you’re a human being underneath all that supervisor responsibility. If your company is involved in charity work in the community or outside events, make sure to keep everyone informed and if it’s allowed, invite everyone to participate. I recently attended a relay with my coworkers and we have a charity clay shoot coming up where we’ll be all decked out in matching shirts, working together on our teams to crush the competition! What better way to induce bonding, am I right?

Now, there are plenty of other ways to make sure your employees are happy and productive throughout their workday, but these three tips are easily implemented and can take place almost overnight. Try one and see how it goes!