How Can We Encourage Employees to Greet Each Other and Boost Office Morale?

I am working as an HR professional and facing an issue where employees are not wishing each other good morning or even seniors. Please help me with how to encourage them to greet each other. It creates a healthy environment when everyone greets each other with a smile every morning upon entering the office.

Dear member,

It appears that your company lacks a culture of etiquette. Therefore, you may create a small manual on workplace manners and etiquette. In this manual, you may cover topics like meeting manners, office protocol, etc. If it is possible to conduct training on workplace etiquette, then, well and good.

Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar

Probably HR itself can set the ball rolling.
Make it a point to go out of the way to wish and be friendly with co employees.
Sign boards with interesting quotes about etiquette can be put up in canteen or entry like: “Smile more. Smiling can make you and others happy.”
Arrange a few training classes on etiquette and other subjects like motivation,coordination etc.
Make an effort to make office friendly place with people to people interaction.smiles and courtesies will start flowing.

Dear colleague,

This is a behavioral issue, and there should not be ego brought in, like workers should wish good morning first to managers. Why don't managers set an example by wishing workers and also be seen wishing their colleagues and superiors? This will help a lot in building this culture.

Regards,
Vinayak Nagarkar
HR Consultant

Mr. Vinayak has brought out an important point regarding managers wishing workers without waiting for them to wish. The relationship of boss-subordinate should not come in between and wait for the subordinate to wish first. Social courtesy should be shown to each other.

Once the ball of wishing, smilingly acknowledging each other starts rolling, things will improve in the office.

Charity begins at home

The HR department should start with the initiative at the time of employees registering their attendance. A wish is something that is reciprocated by the other without hesitation because this is an instinctive behavior of humans.

It is rightly pointed out by Mr. Vinayak Nagarkar that it is good to start with the respective DH. Various ways and means are there to follow by seeing the condition of the establishment. Any interaction other than work-related with employees develops harmony among each other. Social courtesy should be shown to each other.

Improving Workplace Communication and Team Bonding

Whilst agreeing with all previous advice, it seems that your workplace is not a happy place. As no one wishes a good morning, I take it that no one wishes a good evening either when leaving. Therefore, I think that you need to deal with two issues first: communication and team bonding.

We experienced a similar issue recently and dealt with it by ensuring that we all have lunch together twice a week and started a conversation that had nothing to do with work. We noticed that very soon trust was building up between the workers, and within a month, everyone was greeting each other upon arrival and wishing a good evening when leaving. The all-together lunch was reduced to once a week and during busy periods stopped completely but restarted on an ad hoc basis.

There is no cost to the company as each brings their own lunch (we also noticed that the lunches were being shared). However, every now and then, the company will organize and pay for pizzas.

We have found this to be very effective. Give it a try... I hope it works for you as well.

Regards, Harsh

I do not think saying good morning and good evening will serve the purpose. A smile can do a lot more than verbal words. Also, this cannot be enforced by training or in any other manner. It has to be voluntary and spontaneous.

I think HR can start saying good morning and good evening with a smile to all their colleagues every day and continue the same even if it is not reciprocated. The situation will improve automatically as man, being a social animal, will start reciprocating sooner or later.

It all starts with the boss or manager. He or she should set an example by saying "good morning." I was working as a trainee in a large marketing department in 1977. A new boss with a defense background came and made it a point to tell everybody good morning every day.

It brought such a change in the department; everybody continued it, and every New Year's Day, he would wish everybody and shake hands with them. I personally feel it has more to do than just team spirit; it is the emotional bonding it builds in people. I left the company after working for 25 years.

It is 41 years now, and still, I meet him. He is around 85 years old, and he is with the same spirit. A good quality of a boss imbues in his colleagues a good habit forever.

Regards, Pratap