How Journaling Can Boost Employee Morale

As we have already discussed in many of our previous articles, journaling is a tried and tested way to acknowledge and take into account your feelings and emotions. For those of us who have been journaling since we were kids, we can testify that it is a positive outlet for both our positive and negative emotions. As we got older, we discounted its importance. A lot of adults still pen their thoughts down every single night. It has also become a complementary technique used by modern-day psychotherapists as talking therapy practices such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Behavioral Activation Therapy (BAT).

Suppose you went back twenty or thirty years (or even ten, for that matter) in time. In that case, you would find that employee satisfaction is on the back burner at many companies and organizations. Employers or managers would prefer production rate over employee well-being. Things are much better today. In fact, companies have employee-centered policies which allow them to express their dissatisfaction at work to find ways to improve company morale. One of the ways to express those feelings is through journaling. Keeping a "work diary" has become a habit that is so in fashion, everyone is trying it out. So as an employer or a manager, you too can incorporate it into your company policies.

Journaling Therapy: Fact or Fad?

Journal therapy is often known as journal writing therapy or simply writing therapy. It entails the therapeutic use of journaling activities and prompts to increase awareness and alleviate mental health conditions. These conditions can be caused by both internal and external conflicts. It is the intentional and purposeful use of reflective writing to promote mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

The way interior events, ideas, and feelings are captured is a fundamental contrast between keeping a notebook and journal therapy. A person can use journal therapy to write down, discuss, and evaluate their challenges and worries. Writing prompts and activities are used to enhance therapeutic journal writing and journal therapy. People can use the technique to be more reflective, introspective, and intentional in their writing. 

So how can you incorporate the many underlying theories of journaling therapy in your work for the employees? Well, let's see. 

Effective Management 

Most new managers today are faced with the task of figuring out how to improve their management skills within the organizations that hired them. The new role typically arrives with little or no guidance, similar to being tossed into a freezing lake and expected to deliver a team to the other side. This "sink or swim" approach to management training can be detrimental to one's self-esteem, team morale, and the firm as a whole.

Suppose you've been fortunate enough to be a part of an excellent management training program. In that case, you'll discover that journaling will help you learn faster and apply best practice tactics to difficult situations. This is precisely what you need to instill in your employees. Providing them with journaling tasks will help alleviate work stress, voice their opinions, and boost morale! Suppose you haven't received any formal training. In that case, journaling will help you make better decisions faster, manage job stress, and plan effectively.

Benefits of Journaling At Work 

One of the most effective forms of self-care is journaling for your employees. A dedicated work journal can be a great place to jot down your career goals, celebrate your accomplishments, grow personally and professionally, handle daily stress, and more. If you're an employee, here are the benefits of keeping a journal at work:

• Reduces Workplace Stress

Years of studies have shown that writing down your problems might help you cope with stressful situations' negative physical and mental repercussions. Putting your emotions and concerns on paper truly aids in the release of the trauma. Allow yourself to relax and go on the page, which is a great way to unwind before your afternoon meetings.

• Increases Productivity 

There's always the temptation to scroll through social media or give in to other digital distractions if you work in a job that has busy and calm periods. Experts recommend keeping a "productivity journal" for work to track your routines and focus throughout the day to stay productive.

• Personal Growth

This fourth benefit for diarists, personal growth, is perhaps the most important. Keeping regular work diaries, which took no more than ten minutes a day, gives a lot of employees a new perspective on themselves as professionals and what they need to improve. 

• Helps You Reach Your Goals 

Writing about work in your notebook allows you to keep track of your job objectives and achievements as they occur. Writing in a notebook provides a daily dose of happiness, and this simple habit can be beneficial for a long time. According to experts, people who write down their goals in diaries are "substantially" more likely to achieve them.

• Reduces Blood Pressure

One study looked into how keeping a journal could help people with high blood pressure. Then researchers discovered that writing down your feelings can lower blood pressure and improve circulation in the long run. So make time for some journaling during your lunch break. It's a simple approach to being productive while being stress-free. 

All these benefits automatically bring about good morale in the workplace. Giving your employees day-to-day or even weekly tasks (depending on the workload) can help them regulate their thoughts. It allows them to feel better and communicate effectively through to their superiors. If they're feeling fresh and confident, they will be able to tackle any task that awaits them, boosting morale and productivity. 

Templates for Journaling Tasks

As a manager, here are a few journaling templates or tasks you can give to your employees:

• What have you achieved, and what could you do better?

Personal awareness is fundamental. The best managers are aware of their own prejudices and opinions and make well-informed judgments. The same goes for the employees. The vast majority of self-discoveries are made in a journal. It's a private and personal thinking playground where one grows intimately acquainted with one's own challenges and accepts responsibility for limitations. Write down your accomplishments, but also make a note of things that need improvement. 

• Is there something important you witnessed that you would like to share? 

Any Human Resources department will tell us that documentation is essential before (or to avoid) legal action. Even if no immediate action is required, there are situations when a manager should take note of a problem. For example, a colleague makes an inappropriate remark or even your manager. Suppose the manager needs to escalate the situation or provide tangible examples for a performance evaluation. In that case, a notebook can be a valuable and informal record of happenings.

• How can we improve the workplace/productivity? 

Many employees have a fantasy about how their team or department should operate. It can be challenging for them to adjust to the realities of putting their initial ideas into action when they first take on the burden of leading that team. A diary is a terrific way to work through that dissonance and establish mature methods that will help the team achieve its goals in the long run, not just in the short term. After a few months, many managers learn there's much more to the job than they first thought. This can help them feel in the shoes of their employees. Often, articulating the problems they're having will assist them in coming up with new ideas.

• What is your thought process behind a decision? 

When a manager or an employee documents their thought process leading up to a significant decision, there is a better probability that the choice will be sound. Having spent time in a private notebook weighing numerous possibilities and perspectives before taking action builds confidence. A diary also functions as a natural feedback system. The author can take a step back and consider their own decisions. This alone has the potential to accelerate organizational growth enormously.

Your Daily Online Journal 

Journaling with a traditional notebook and pen is fine, but a digital platform provides more features. It gives you a better understanding of what you've accomplished and where you want to go. To make the journaling experience more gratifying, you can also insert photographs from your phone or updates from your social network feeds. When you add in reminders and the option to search your diary entries, it's practically a no-brainer to keep a digital journal.

That's why we recommend using JournalOwl as your company's preferred platform to pen down their daily thoughts. It's free and has a calming and straightforward interface that will allow you to journal on the go. It doesn't matter if you have a busy schedule. With JournalOwl, you won't feel like your lacking behind on your daily journaling tasks. So what are you waiting for? Sign up and boost your morale at work!