During tough economic times, it's common for morale to drop within a company. This creates challenges, as unhappy teams are not as productive as happy teams. While you may cringe at the idea of spending money on morale right now, there are things you can do to give it a boost that won't break the bank! Let us give you a few ideas.

1) Take some time to walk around and talk to your team members. Be genuinely interested in what they have to say, and acknowledge the work they do. Make sure all management at all levels gets involved in this.

2) Always treat your team with respect, even if you feel they are being disrespectful to you.

3) Be approachable and visible.

4) Do a community project together as a company. Perhaps have a food drive - where the management team helps organize food and load trucks. Create teams with mixtures of people from different departments and enter in a charitable event together.

5) Continue to train your team and invest in their futures.

6) Bring in a motivational speaker, or do an in-house team building event with a facilitator.

7) Stand behind your team, and encourage them to take ownership of their work.

8) Do something unexpected like ordering pizza for everyone for lunch one day, or pulling everyone out of the office for a ½ hour Frisbee game.

9) Recognize jobs well done. Simple thank-you's for meeting deadlines or doing something well go a long way.

You don't need millions of dollars to have a happy team. Investing some of your time, using a little creativity, and showing gratitude can go a long way towards a morale boost. Keep in mind there are no band-aid solutions - doing any one of these once won't be enough. Try to incorporate some of these tips into each work week.

For more ideas on generating greatness within your team, please contact Gary Gzik at ggzik@bizxcel.com or 1-866-905-2228 ext 108.