As the current economic situation puts pressure on organizations’ bottom line, workers are also feeling the strain. The result can often be decreased morale. In a recent survey of 60,000 workers, 80 per cent reported they were stressed at work “sometimes to always.” Stress is the largest health-related productivity cost at work, so ensuring your employee’s stress levels are low not only benefits the individual but the organization as a whole. And as employees serve as ambassadors for your organization, their happiness can make or break its reputation to job seekers, clients and stakeholders. Good morale promotes good business. Read on to discover how you can build morale among your employees.
Give praise where praise is due
Neglecting to give credit and praise is one of the fastest ways to decrease employee morale. This is especially important during tough economic times. While companies are seeking to cut back on expenses and downsize, employees are being asked to do more with less. So when employees are going above and beyond, don’t let it go unnoticed. Write a thank you note or sing their praises in an e-mail to a superior. If it is a valuable contribution to a team effort, make it known to the team; if it is towards a branch-wide effort, make it known to the branch. Whether during a meeting or via e-mail, praise lets employees know their hard work is not only valuable but appreciated.
Communication
Knowledge is power, and communicating effectively with employees empowers them in their decision-making while fostering trust and loyalty in your leadership. Maximize the benefits of good communication and:
Don’t ‘spin.’ When you don’t have the answer or you have to share bad news, refuse to ‘spin’ your message. Instead choose to maintain transparency. You will save your employees from being blind-sided later and will earn their respect for being honest.
Keep the lines open. Reasons for poor morale, such as rumours of ‘cut backs’ or ongoing disagreements on teams, can only be resolved when they are recognized. If employees know you are open in communicating to them, they will feel more comfortable in coming to you when they have a problem.
Offer flexibility. Providing the option to work from home during bad weather (when appropriate), a more flexible schedule, or allotting personal days off to care for a sick family member can increase morale by helping people feel more in control of their life and supported during trying times.
Seek extra support. Tap into additional help as a manager and refer employees to information and resources available through your Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Balance the Workload
When people are overloaded with work, their stress levels increase and their morale and productivity go down. Help employees balance their workload and:
Step back. Take a step back and look at the process in which employees’ tasks are accomplished. Are there any places where a more efficient method can be found? Are there tasks that can be outsourced or reassigned? Are there time-wasting, low value-added activities that have become redundant? Necessity can be the mother of invention, so when companies are seeking to economize and workers are left with fewer resources, it’s time to get creative. Get your team together and ask them for their input on how you, as a team, can be more efficient and innovative in how you do business.
Respect their time. Avoid unnecessary meetings. Use modern technology to your advantage, such as conference calling and video conferencing, to minimize travel time. Give a few more minutes of your own time to explain assignments. If you outline your directives clearly, there will be fewer changes and less back and forth in the completion of an assignment.
Set realistic deadlines. Ensure deadlines are attainable and seek to synchronize work flows between employees where tasks are interdependent.
Prioritise. Make sure everyone knows the order of priorities and that they have the tools at hand to meet them. Try holding a ‘post-it note meeting’ every morning. Go over what the top priorities are for the day and make them fit on a post-it. Anything not on the post-it is worked on only when the items listed are completed.
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