A stagnating team can cause productivity to fall behind. As a leader, you are the one who needs to find a way to make things right. If you find that your employees are falling behind, perhaps it is time to consider some ways to motivate them in order to keep things moving.

One way you may want to tackle this problem is by examining workplace happiness. A happy workplace results in increased productivity and motivation to get more work done; that is undeniable. However, happiness in the workplace does not come about organically. In fact, the natural trend is in the negative; workplaces are more likely to become increasingly more unhappy if nothing is done to reverse it.

How can you help reverse the trends? Consider these suggestions the next time you think your team could use a pick-up.

Acknowledge Achievements and Good Work

In a 2017 survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 43% of working adults said recognition by management about their job performance was an important factor of job satisfaction. Not providing that recognition will leave your employees feeling undervalued, which 43% of them also feel is important, the meaningfulness of their job.

You may have a standard recognition structure in your business that allows employees to work towards specific goals and targets. However, sometimes that isn’t enough. The day-to-day recognition can go a long way to improving employee happiness. Sending them an email saying “Good job on that last assignment” is a small way of reaching this goal to motivate. Face-to-face acknowledgement is also a great way to do this.

Motivate Through Better Communication

Employees always value communication between them and management. SHRM’s survey revealed that 53% of employees believe communication between them and senior management is important for job satisfaction.

Communicating with your employees is essential in order to help them feel more important. Employees need to know that you are willing to listen to the things that are important to them. Establishing a clear communication channel from employees to management can help bridge this gap.

Motivate Through Company Events

Setting up team events can take the edge off a tough workload and can lead to much broader co-worker communication. The event doesn’t need to be elaborate, either. A pizza party once a month at the end of a tough week can have a great impact on your employees’ performance in the job. The point is to get away from the work for a while just to relax and unwind.