Working in the social services industry can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also be extremely challenging. Folks in this field often struggle to maintain strong mental and emotional resilience while also providing caring support to those who need it most.

Burnout is a real issue, so it is especially important for leaders in our industry to take steps to ensure their teams stay passionate, keep a positive outlook, and ultimately find satisfaction and joy in their work.

Here are eight strategies I use to improve workplace morale and help ensure that my teams remain motivated, productive, and engaged.

1. Training

At one time or another, most supervisors have seen their staff get overwhelmed. Sometimes this happens because a staff member is unsure what to do or how to respond when things go wrong. Untrained or undertrained employees get overwhelmed more easily. And that can really drive morale down.

Conversely, dynamic, entertaining and interactive job training allows the employee time to absorb the information more deeply so it becomes intuitive. When employees are trained thoroughly, they are eager to enter the workplace, ready to take on new challenges.  There is a rhythm to good training: present the fact or policy, tell a story to drive the need for the policy or fact home (good to pair with something that triggers an emotional response), add a bit of humor, then enlist the attendees in a reframe or practice skill.

Well-trained, confident workers have what they need to immediately contribute, quickly integrate into the workforce, and be effective. Ensuring new employees are helpful and knowledgeable is one of the best ways to support positive workplace morale. Colleagues welcome well-trained additions to the team because they know they can start contributing immediately.

On the other hand, agencies with poor training programs throw new hires into high-stress situations right away. Seasoned staff know that newcomers are set up to fail. And when co-workers expect the new person to fail, it increases the likelihood of mistakes. That’s why insufficient training lowers morale. Experienced employees must work harder to fix the newcomers’ errors, making the new person feel incompetent and a burden to the existing staff.

2. Lead by Example

Leaders are the most influential voices in any organization. Their actions can have a powerful impact on the attitudes and behaviors of every employee. That’s why leaders must embody the actions and attitudes they expect from their staff.

Like it or not, your employees watch your examples to learn the corporate culture, find acceptable ways to deal with conflicts, treat co-workers, interact with clients, handle failure, and determine job satisfaction.

Your actions and words will be echoed by your employees. If you spot destructive or demoralizing behavior, check yourself to make sure it does not reflect your own management style.  Be sure not to give a pass to demoralizing behavior you see – if you don’t make an effort to address it, you send a message to your team about your values.  You must be the model of good behavior, and your staff will follow.   

3. Don’t Hide Your Mistakes

Mistakes are the worse. We think they make us look weak. But the truth is that no one is perfect, and every single person makes mistakes. In some companies, leaders do everything they can to cover up mistakes, blame it on someone else, or pretend it never happened. And I never want to work at those places.

If leadership acts human, it gives the staff permission to be human. Morale is much higher in places that don’t demand perfection at any cost. In our workplace, we know that mistakes happen and work hard to correct them.  No matter the number of employees you have, you are running a business with humans.  Humans have lives outside of work and that life impacts work performance.  A personal health issue one is facing, the dissolution of a marriage, sick child, death of a parent, on and on – we don’t know what challenges our employees face outside of work, but we can be sure the influence is present.  

As the leader openly admitting missteps, you are telling your team that accidents aren’t the end of the world.  Sharing executive fumbles also helps squash the “gotcha” culture prevalent in any industry. Admitting blunders and fixing them shows your team what to do when mistakes happen. They’ll know they are expected to own errors and fix them. And morale is always higher when employees understand that one slip-up will not brand them for life.  In my perspective, any mistake is an opportunity to teach others how not to replicate that same error.  I chalk it up to more good stories to add to a training session. 

4. Smile Early and Often

Smiles are contagious in the best way. I take my job very, very seriously, but that doesn’t mean I don’t try to have fun at my job. I laugh every day. And so does my co-founder and all of my leadership team.

We smile a lot at CIS. Our DSPs smile, and we want to see our clients smile. In fact, smiles are a core part of our corporate culture. However, happiness and joy don’t just happen, so we start by creating confidence and trust.

I know there are absolutely days when smiling and happiness are impossible, but those are exceptions, not the rule. Shoot for 90% happiness, and your workplace morale will skyrocket.

If you happen to work in the healthcare field you are likely still wearing a mask most of the day.  Even though your actual smile cannot be seen, your smile emanates from your eyes and the energy of a smile through the rest of your body.  So, keep smiling – even if your pearly whites cannot be seen.

5. Embrace Transparency

Transparency in staff performance, expectations, and business performance builds trust, helps people feel safe, and improves morale. Whether you tell them or not, many employees will know that regulations have changed, economies have shifted, and businesses must evolve.

Instead of keeping them guessing, share your business goals, challenges, and successes. Transparency not only reduces gossip and guessing but also flatters employees by letting them know you trust them with the whole picture.

6. Praise Generously

What is one of the first things we are taught as children?  How to say, “Please and Thank you.” Some leaders are worried that if they praise too easily, employees will start to expect it. But those leaders are missing the point.  Employees thrive in work environments where they feel appreciated and valued and receive praise for big and small wins, just like big and small mistakes are noted. When people do what’s expected of them, thank them. When they exceed expectations, praise them with a big wo-hoo! When they make a mistake and fix it, acknowledge their efforts, thank them, and give a congratulations.

People feel better about themselves and their jobs when they feel respected. So don’t hold back.  

7. Be Vocal About Your Social Mission

I’m in social work for a reason, and I’ll bet you are too. I do this to make the earth better than when I got here, and I try to surround myself with people who want to do the same. That’s why I never hesitate to remind employees that we are doing soul-building work that requires much and gives much back. I want everyone in our company to embrace that!

Talking about the value of your social mission is one of the best ways to keep your staff motivated. Remind them of the good they do and the importance of their work.

8. Respect Time Out of the Office

We’ve all got smartphones that enable us to reach employees at any time of the day or night. But that doesn’t mean we should do it. Overworked employees soon become overwhelmed and burned out. That cycle can accelerate in social work because staff must put so much emotional energy into their work.

To keep morale high, create clear boundaries and don’t cross them. Encourage employees to unplug when they leave work. Avoid sending after-hour emails. Allow your team to get into a downtime routine and avoid changing schedules or disrupting that routine. Be as generous as you can with time off, and for goodness’ sake, don’t contact employees during their vacation.   And if by accident, you do – apologize!

Good Morale is Good Business

Keeping morale high feels like a nice thing to do, but it’s also good for business. Agencies with good morale are more productive and more cooperative. They’re able to deal with crises more effectively. As a result, employee retention is higher, and turnover is lower. So, think about how you can increase morale in your workplace. It isn’t always easy, but it’s always rewarding.

That’s because anyone who works with people knows that one size does not fit all. Humans accumulate a wide range of positive and negative life experiences. Their mental and physical abilities, combined with their experiences with support systems such as families, schools, and caregivers, influence how each person processes information. The result is millions of different people acting and reacting in millions of different ways.

When Janell and I started Community Integrated Services (almost two decades ago), we knew our success depended on developing custom plans for each new client. CIS was created to help people with developmental disabilities and a history of behavioral issues. When helping these people, we can’t make assumptions or develop assembly line approaches: we have to meet each new client where they are.

But custom approaches can take a lot of time and money to execute, and we wanted to make every dollar count so that we could expand. There is a long line of people needing services like ours. We knew that if CIS could scale up, we could help more people. So how could we grow efficiently while still employing a totally customized approach?

Customized Doesn’t Mean Unplanned

Community care at CIS is based on individual instruction and support plans (IISP) and positive behavior support plans (PBSP). Program managers create these plans for each client based on the client’s history, abilities, goals, and progress.

While each plan is individualized, program managers start by working with an established framework to analyze needs. They then reference a set of established criteria and work with other specialists to create customized care plans that meet all state and federal guidelines and take advantage of the latest research and information.

Once a plan is created, it allows an entire team to work together. It serves as the shared point of reference for a group of people. Much like a medical chart in a hospital, a CIS care plan allows different people to interact with clients without changing direction. Direct Support Professionals, or DSPs, follow these plans closely to meet clients’ emotional, practical, and medical needs.

We adjust and change plans based on our clients’ evolving needs or progress, but the process of planning is a core part of our business model.

Create a Deep Bench

We’ve found that the best way to provide consistent care is by helping our staff learn more than one skill. For example, many members of our senior team joined us to do one job but also showed skills in other areas. Once we spotted these abilities, we helped them grow into new positions that leverage their range of talents.

In sports, it’s called creating a deep bench. We are intentionally creating a flexible workforce by helping current employees expand their knowledge and expertise (instead of hiring a new employee with siloed skills). Staff can cover for co-workers in other departments.

For example, if a DSP can also help out in compliance, we are growing two skill sets. That DSP might continue to work with clients, or they may shift into compliance full-time, based on skills, need, and aptitudes. Developing multiple skill sets also minimizes the impact when a key hire leaves.

Don’t Assume

Assumptions allow people to navigate through the world efficiently. For example, we may assume people with a particular job title act or react in specific ways. Maybe we treat cashiers and teachers differently based on past experiences. Some assumptions help us navigate life without examining each encounter with fresh eyes.

However, assumptions are rarely helpful when interacting with social work clients. Each employee at CIS must meet each person without prejudices. We don’t assume they will interact or react the same way as another client.

This approach requires our staff to work harder, observe more closely, and take more time to really learn how each client is unique. Observation and analysis are needed before we can begin to create effective care plans.  Our intentional refusal to make assumptions helps us serve our clients more effectively. It also prevents us from rushing into treatment plans based on the needs or behaviors of other clients.

Make Customization the Norm, Not the Exception

If you want to implement a fully tailored approach, it’s crucial to make customization the core of your business model. That means that made-to-order is the norm, not the exception.

Instead of trying to create standard versions and adding customizations, develop processes that allow you to adapt every time. For every client, our approach starts with formal evaluations. We then submit paperwork to the state and assign a support team that includes DSPs, supervisors, and program managers. These steps are mandatory, and we do these things every time. 

But the evaluations are simply information gathering. They provide the data needed to create individualized plans for each client. And while these assessments have a framework and requirements, we can change them when needed. We have to meet baseline goals and objectives, but we can then include elements as we discover the need for them. For example, we may accept a client with paperwork that doesn’t indicate any medical issues. During the course of our evaluations, we may discover they have significant hearing loss. That changes our approach, and we’ll start creating plans incorporating hearing loss. We help the individual access a specialist or try out hearing aids to help us address all of the client’s needs. We add and adjust as the complete client profile is developed.

Conversely, we don’t discover hearing loss and then ignore it. Even though the hearing loss was not part of the initial profile, adapting and adjusting to new findings is part of what we do. It may add work to the process, but these shifts are never avoided or ignored. That’s what true customization affords us: the ability to treat clients holistically.

Building on a Structure for Customization

In the end, we can be creative problem solvers if an organizing structure is holding it together. We have a basic framework that keeps us in compliance. It helps us maintain standards, develop efficiencies, routinize approaches, and establish pathways for success.

Like the framework for a house, our structure is spare, practical, and necessary. And it also allows us to build custom programs quickly and efficiently. The structure is there to support the customization.

With a solid structure providing core strength, we can continue to customize and grow. And in our line of work, growing also means helping more people. It’s the rationale behind everything we do, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

I’m not suggesting you ask others to smile, and I don’t want you to constantly mask your feelings. Instead, I’m encouraging business leaders to put their best selves forward. Don’t hide smiles. Try being kind and fostering happiness. Choose to show your humanity and warmth in the workplace. If leaders can smile more at work, it may just help your business.

The Science Behind Smiles

When people smile, it triggers the production of stress-reducing endorphins. Endorphins are hormones that reduce anxiety, boost self-image, and can even relieve pain.Smiles also reduce stress-producing hormones like adrenaline. That means smiling elevates mood and reduces erratic behavior. Sounds good, right?

So, when you smile, you can actually improve your mental health a little bit. But did you know that facial expressions are contagious? When you smile, it also impacts the frame of mind of the people around you. That’s why I make an effort to enter my building each morning with a smile. I know that my staff is going to take cues from me. If I’m smiling and enthusiastic, they tend to follow my example.

In fact, anyone who enters a room with a smile and optimistic energy can lift the spirits of the people around them. So in the workspace, this means employees can be more relaxed, less stressed, and set in a positive – thus productive, mindset.

The Power of Friendliness

Is it weird that I’m telling people to be friendly? I mean, kindness is what we teach our kids at home and school, so it seems like it should be built into us. It’s a fundamental part of being a good human. But sadly, many workplaces discourage friendliness. They think it gets in the way of productivity. How many of you have heard managers say things like “Less chit-chat” or “Talk on your own time.” Maybe they’ve said, “You’re not here to make friends.”

These managers think they’re boosting productivity, but in my experience, friendliness (and making friends at work) is a productivity booster. The office runs better when coworkers are kind to each other, greet one another with a “good morning” or “hello,” and exchange pleasantries. People relax. Fewer mistakes happen. Cooperation skyrockets.

So here it comes: friendliness starts at the top. Friendly supervisors have friendly employees. Their staff gets along with each other. Morale is higher. Turnover is lower. Workers are more likely to be loyal and engage from a place of compassion. And that’s all good for business.

Stay Positive

We all have bad days, but that doesn’t mean we have to have negative outlooks. In fact, one of the interview questions we ask manager candidates is designed to determine how we can best support them if they are having a bad day (again, because we all have them). We know that if someone feels alone in their funk, they have a tendency to stay in that feeling longer. Our goal isn’t to force someone to feel better but to instead give the individual the type of support they need so they don’t feel unseen, unsupported, or alone.  From this springboard, the individual’s spirits begin to lift simply by the support they experience from their supervisors. 

Building in intentional optimism, in how we interact with one another as a team and how we interact with our clients and customers, is how we consciously tell ourselves to focus on hope. That’s a valuable business asset. After all, what’s the use of having a business if you don’t believe that you are doing good work and that it will eventually produce positive results? While optimism motivates, pessimism chips away at confidence and generally destroys morale.  So, I vote for optimism and positivity! How about you? 

Depersonalize Outside Negativity

As a person who works in social services, I know that when an offer of help is met with resistance, it isn’t personal. It’s not about me or what I did. In social work, we recognize that clients come to us with complicated histories that can trigger irrational responses. So, when a client lashes out, I remind myself that I just happen to be the person standing in front of them at that moment. Maybe they got word that their parent won’t be able to visit them tomorrow, or they just got laid off from work, or maybe they just don’t feel well. The “what” isn’t necessarily the thing one needs to focus on. Instead, it’s important to focus on our ability to deflect the resistance which is directed at us in that moment.  

That same ability can extend beyond my field.  There have certainly been many businesspeople that have gone into a meeting happy and optimistic and come out demoralized, unsure of what went wrong. Usually, disproportionate responses in a business setting mean you’re getting the fallout from other arguments or unrelated struggles. They are “taking it out on you.”

It’s easy to let that kind of behavior demoralize you (you don’t deserve it!) But if you experience unexpected or undeserved rudeness, I challenge you to remember that everyone is fighting a hard battle. Instead of feeling hurt or angry, remember that you just happened to be the person standing in front of them at that moment. Instead of taking it personally, think for a moment about what could be making your client, coworker, or customer act in a hurtful way.  Then remind yourself that it is not about you. Get re-centered and smile. You know you.

Do Your Own Experiment

Okay, science tells us that smiles boost moods and that positivity is contagious. So, if you’re still a doubter, do your own experiment. Next time you walk into a room that feels filled with nervous or negative energy, stop. Take a moment and refocus your mindset to be cheerful and pleasant. Greet everyone with a smile on your face.

Did their energy change? Did they sit up straighter, lean forward, or smile back? I bet most of them did. And if there were negative holdouts, you’ll get them next time. After all, when you repeat positive behaviors, more and more people model it each time.

So, focus on the good you do – remind yourself of the good around you, start smiling, and smile often. Not only does it help people around you feel better, but it can also increase productivity and decrease turnover in the long run. And who doesn’t want to smile about that?

Because of a decades-long shortage of direct support professionals (DSPs), it has always been necessary to hire and thoroughly train people without prior experience. So our motto became “If we can’t recruit fully qualified and experienced staff, we will create our own workforce.”  This meant a lot of training was required, and we were happy to take on the challenge.

Building a workforce from the bottom up is serious and time-consuming yet rewarding beyond measure. So, to keep people engaged and excited about an unfamiliar role, or a new job, we work hard to make our training sessions fun and day-to-day interactions filled with positivity.  This doesn’t mean it’s all comedy night at work (although there is a little of that), but we try to keep it enjoyable and engaging. We want people to look forward to the next day, not dread it. And here’s how we do that.

Improve the Office Milieu by Encouraging Friendships

I get it, Not everyone is a fan of the word “milieu.” But it’s the perfect word for all the things that make up the social environment. At CIS, we want our people to like working here and feel comfortable. We want them to have friends at work.

This isn’t just an afterthought or a “nice to have.” It’s essential. Studies show that people with friends at work are less likely to be unhappy and quit. Did you read that? People with friends at work are less likely to be unhappy and quit! In a time when there is a steady stream of articles about quiet quitting and mass resignations, the milieu is something to pay attention to.

We at CIS make planned social interactions a core part of the CIS program. For example, maybe we’ll recognize all employees within the same month for their birthdays. This provides chances for people to learn more about the other employees. We hold individual site team staff meetings where attendees can be trained and eat (food is always a plus.) These get-togethers create space for introductions among co-workers, help facilitate social integration, and generally work to make all employees feel more comfortable and confident.

Lean into Employee Motivation

Some new hires come to us raring to go. Others need help getting motivated and excited about their new role. In both cases, employee motivation is key to staff satisfaction and retention. And motivation starts in the first training sessions.

After all, research has demonstrated a positive correlation between skillful training and motivated employees. When done right, training sessions go beyond instruction; they also inspire employees. Of course, employees must know what they need to do, but they must also understand why they need to do it.

Providing a deeper understanding of tasks and consequences is one way we motivate staff members. We assume they want to know everything about the company. So, we share our history, lore, and mission statement. We also spend time discussing CIS values and talking about the ways employees could express these values.

Our agency also sincerely places a high value on an employee’s job. For example, our DSPs affect both co-workers and clients. They play a significant role in our clients’ quality of life. We make sure they know just how much their job matters to CIS and our clients.  We have a digital program that allows employees to recognize their peers. Each quarter the individual(s) are put into a random drawing for a monetary gift, and at least one of the peer compliments for the winner is posted in the company newsletter.  

Don’t Shy Away from Discussions About Professional Advancement

We can’t promise that everyone will get promoted, but we can promise that exceptional performance is one of the best ways to ensure professional advancement. We start talking about career opportunities in early training sessions. We create job roadmaps for new employees, even if they are entry-level hourly workers. Demonstrating our belief in their abilities is a great way to foster confidence and commitment. In training, I point out the names of managers and directors that started with CIS as DSPs and worked their way into the roles they hold now. 

And this isn’t just my opinion. A Glassdoor study reported that employees without a clear path for advancement often leave to pursue the next stage of their careers. At CIS, we want our employees to look to us for promotions, not seek them elsewhere. In the same vein, if an internally promoted manager is finding that they miss working directly with the clients, we listen. Instead of forcing them to quit to join a peer agency (with that passion and knowledge to work as a DSP again,) we support their return to the role they miss here at CIS. It is a win-win any way we look at it.

Celebrate Victories!

Social work can be a challenging career, so I’m not afraid to congratulate often. Sometimes we celebrate with a high five, a round of applause, or an ice cream sundae. It’s vital for us to take time to celebrate achievements, however small. We all work so hard. Taking moments to express our gratitude for everyone’s contributions is key to ensuring employees feel valued and want to stay (despite the hard work).

New hires can be timid and unsure in training, so it’s even more important to provide recognition for successes in the early days. I call on people in my training to ensure everyone is participating. When someone answers a question correctly, I cheer, and the other trainees usually start cheering with me. Another victory for joy!

Smile. It’s Contagious.

Did you know that when you smile, you tell your brain to produce more stress-reducing endorphins? And it tamps down stress-producing hormones like adrenaline. Smiling also reduces blood pressure.

Of course, mask wear challenges our ability to see smiles now. In any medical-type situation, everyone is still wearing masks. However, even behind a mask, I can tell you your smile works. It shows in your eyes and lifts the energy of those around you.

Like it or not, your facial expression is contagious.  When I walk through the office, I want employees to mirror my enthusiasm and joy, so I smile (even with a mask on!) A lot. It makes me feel better and lifts the mood of the office, which makes all the employees happier. And when they’re happy and comfortable, they learn and work better, and with that combination, they are more likely to continue working for us

Win-win.

Eat Ice Cream

If you’ve read any of my past articles, you might wonder, “What is it with this girl and ice cream?”

I love it, it’s true! Through the years, I’ve found that bringing ice cream to work as a treat, a celebration, or a reward helps others and me feel happier somehow. Maybe it’s because it reminds us of our inner child and the joy we felt when eating it while growing up, Or maybe it is because it’s so darn delicious. Who knows?

But the occasional ice cream break is one of my favorite ways to get people to stop, smile, relax, and talk to the people around them. It’s the secret ingredient to helping people love where they are.

Stay Serious, But Don’t Forget Fun

There is plenty of serious material to cover in the social work realm, as I am sure there is in any business. By adding fun, humor, smiles, compassion, and personal attention to employee and trainee interactions, CIS can teach serious lessons without demotivating employees. We’re a good team here at CIS, and it all starts with a few smiles.