MEMORANDUM
Date:
To:
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Subject:
CC:
September 28, 2014
Business Communications Colleagues
Eric Dwelle
Project Proposal
Greg Larson
IMPROVING EMPLOYEE MORALE
OVERVIEW: I am purposing that we evaluate how simple tools and morale boosting
activities can affect the productivity on the job at Best Buy. This will show the class
members how to treat employees and all the benefits it can produce.
RESEARCH QUESTION: Many big corporations (and small ones too) seem to forget
that their employees are as important (or more important) than their customers.
What can be gained by improving employee morale?
RATIONALE: Showing how one business, in this case Best Buy, can boost employee
morale will carry over to every business you encounter. Happy employee work
better and have a better experience. They will stay longer with a company and this
means less training involved with lower turnover rates. This is useful information
when you become a supervisor or manager. This also involves a high level of
communication skills in both listening to your employees and being able to
communicate with them.
FEASIBILITY: There are many reasons to boost employee morale. The eMagazine
“Human Resources” summarizes these reasons to the word performance. They
state that only 29% of the US workforce feels “engaged” at work. A summary of
good reasons includes: getting a competitive edge, giving employees a voice, attract
and retain talented people, easier to manage workplace, and it reduces stress and
sick days taken.
Business insider gives a short list of ways to achieve higher morale:
 Encourage strengths: help employees to work with their passions
 Offer incentives: working half-days, parking space, free lunches
 Let them take the reins: have them come up with their own ideas
HR World also has some ways of boosting morale:
 Help them wake up: provide free coffee so they will be awake and productive
throughout the day
 Recognize birthdays
 Treat them to lunch



Throw a party: celebrate a company milestone, or recognize employees for
outstanding work
Throw a company community-service project day
Offer financial rewards (who doesn’t like money!)
I feel that Best Buy would be a good company to participate for this proposal. As a
former employee, I know that in the last 6 months, there have been several issues
come-up that have lowered morale significantly. Best Buy currently employees
approximately 140,000 people, with 6,000+ in Utah alone.
MATERIALS & METHODS: The primary method of collecting data will be surveys of
the employees at the beginning and the end of the study. This will take a week or so
to come up with the appropriate questions, tally employees, and analyze data.
From there, each group of the personnel will prepare 1-2 methods of boosting
morale. Each method will have different supplies, methods, and costs depending on
how in depth it is.
PERSONNEL: All members of the group can work together to create the
questionnaires that will be given to the employees at the beginning and at the end of
the 6-month study. They can also be involved in the handing out and tallying results
from these questionnaires.
After the initial work is concluded, the personnel can break into groups of 2-3 and
each group will be responsible for one or two areas on morale boosting. They can
handle the planning of each activity, getting the word out, and running the activity.
TIME FRAME: This is a long process and should take a minimum of 6 months to see
if the results are improved.
 Oct. 15th: Get some initial data in the form of a questionnaire that includes
many questions about their level of happiness at their current position.
 Oct. 16th-March 16th: Employ several morale boosting techniques.
 March 17th: Get some closing data in the form of the same questionnaires to
see if the results have improved.
HURDLES: The biggest hurdle will involve budget. While there are some techniques
that can be inexpensive, others will require an adequate budget to increase morale.
If you pitch it correctly, the budget can be covered by what will be saved in hiring
new employees.
Depending on which methods you choice to use, they will also take a high
commitment from upper management. They will need to be available at many of the
activities. They will also need special training in the art of listening to employees.