Employee morale is important to every company because a happy employee is a productive one. When an employee comes to work with a smile on their face, it brightens the spirits of everyone. Happiness is contagious, and it comes from building good employee morale.

The time invested in ensuring that employees are healthy and happy will pay off with increased employee productivity. Here are five simple ways to boost employee morale and keep the most important element of a business, its employees, happy.

Emphasize wellness

Show employees you care by keeping them healthy. Sponsor regular health screening programs including blood pressure, cholesterol checks and diabetic screening. Have experts come in at lunch to talk about making better dietary choices and how to fit more exercise into the day. Work with a local health club who can offer your employees a discounted membership. Most employees are challenged to exercise and eat a healthy diet when they’re trying to juggle a job and family responsibilities. They’ll appreciate the fact that you care about their health and want to make their life better.

Recognize employee contributions

Employees work harder when they feel their hard work is recognized and appreciated. When an employee goes above and beyond, reward them with a handwritten note thanking them for their efforts. For extraordinary contributions, you can always add a gift card, but sometimes a simple “thank you” from a supervisor means more than monetary rewards.

Give employees small “perks”

Look for small perks you can offer employees that don’t cost a fortune. Let them dress down one day a week or bring their pet to work. Having a pet around also reduces stress. Deliver a healthy lunch to the office one day a week or plan an office social outing once a month like a hiking expedition, lunch at a restaurant or an evening at the movies. In the summer, have an office picnic and cookout. These activities boost employee morale and give employees a sense of “community.”

Help them deal with stress

It’s challenging to juggle work and family life, and employees feel the pressure. Give employees time off for special occasions or family emergencies, and be flexible with scheduling when you can. If telecommuting is an option, let employees work at home one day a week. Fortunately, technology makes this possible. Have experts give talks on ways to deal with stress or ask a yoga professional to demonstrate stress-relieving yoga moves. Keep an open door so employees feel comfortable talking about stress-related issues they’re having.

Make sure your employees are working in a pleasant environment

Make sure your employees are working in an environment that’s physically and psychologically healthy. Bright fluorescent lights, poor ventilation and a crowded environment can reduce employee morale and lead to health problems. Make sure your employees have adequate space so they don’t feel overcrowded.

Add some plants to the workplace. Bringing nature indoors is psychologically therapeutic, and plants help to oxygenate and humidify the air so your employees can breathe easier. Why not paint the walls a bright color? Color can have a positive impact on mood and morale. Personalize the workplace by setting up a bulletin board where employees can post funny articles, photos and jokes. Humor is one of the best ways to relieve stress and boost employee morale.

A simple way to measure whether or not your workplace enables healthy behaviors is to conduct a workplace environment audit.

The bottom line?

Keep your employees healthy, happy and productive. When you boost employee morale, you’ll be surprised at how much more happy and productive your employees will be.