Posted on the Houston Chronicle by Anna Assad, Demand Media

A positive employee meeting boosts morale, helps lower staff stress and frustration and encourages new ideas. The meeting’s tone is typically set by the person conducting it, so to have a positive meeting, you must consider the content and your presentation. Even a serious meeting can end on a high note and have a positive feeling throughout, energizing your employees and improving the morale among your staff.

Step 1. Praise outstanding employees and achievements when starting the meeting. You don’t have to give out awards or bonuses. Simply recognizing a job well done is a boost to morale, especially to the staff of a business facing hard times.

Step 2. Share news about the company. Your employee might not know everything about the company. Use the meeting to tell your staff what is going on and highlight good news, such as a new client. Address concerns honestly but point out the positives whenever you can.

Step 3. Ask the employees whether you can help with anything. A simple piece of equipment may take a load off of an entire department. Even if you cannot help, asking the employees what they need lets them know you want to work with them toward a common goal and value their needs.

Step 4. Invite suggestions and opinions about current work challenges and processes. Allow each employee to talk uninterrupted. You might learn about issues you were unaware of and hear new ideas, and employees feel more positive when their opinions are valued.

Step 5. Avoid openly disciplining or criticizing an employee or department during the meeting. Handle disciplinary tasks in private with only the person or department affected in attendance. Criticizing or punishing a worker or department in front of the entire staff causes the affected party unnecessary embarrassment and lowers morale.