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We’re all reading the same news about layoffs and demands to return to the office. I don’t really want to discuss that today. But I do want to talk about something that might occur when employees aren’t happy – and that’s a decline in morale.
Morale is defined as “the confidence, enthusiasm, and discipline of a person or group”. Organizations could have an individual with low morale. Or a team with high morale. It’s important for organizations to understand morale and put steps in place to keep morale high. Morale can have an impact on employee engagement, which many studies show has a direct correlation to productivity and the bottom line.
If you’re organization is concerned about employee morale, here are a few things to consider:
Do managers know what motivates their employees and teams? Some managers make the mistake of thinking what motivates them is the same as what motivates everyone else. And that’s simply not true. For example, some employees might be motivated by a goal they’ve set. And others might be motivated by learning something new. Motivation is important because what motivates an employee could be the reason they get up and come into work every day and do their best.
Do managers know what type of rewards and recognition the team appreciates? Like motivation, every employee wants to be recognized in a way that they appreciate. Some employees like be recognized in front of the team. Others absolutely hate it. Some employees would love the reward of a day off with pay and others would like to attend a conference. Managers should know how employees want to be recognized for their hard work.
Is there a balance of individual and team activities? Adding to the point above about employee rewards and recognition, managers have the challenge of creating a balance between doing things for the individual employee and the team. Sometimes, the best recognition is a pizza party team celebration and sometimes, it’s recognizing an individual employee for their performance. Managers need to resist the urge to do team recognition because it’s faster and cheaper than recognizing individuals. Employees are smart and they can see right through this.
Does the organization promote self-care and wellbeing? Sometimes employees need a day off, or a fun distraction, or maybe a side quest to help them recharge their morale. When managers can see employees need to recharge, do they support it? When employees tell their manager that they need to recharge, does the manager help them? Our organization’s best employees occasionally need support to recharge and do their best work. Think about how the organization can support self-care and wellbeing.
Are managers being a good role model? What I mean by this is … are managers taking care of themselves? Are they showing the team that “yes, there are hard days” but we’ll get through them together. Sometimes managers can set the example by showing they’re human. By laughing and having fun. We can do serious work and deliver results and have fun at the same time. Managers have the opportunity to show their employees how it’s done.
Employee morale is important. And while I’m always game for a taco party, that’s not how morale gets fixed or maintained. According to Gallup, 70% of engagement is determined by managers. Managers need to know what gets their team excited about work and how to recognize good performance. It will have a positive impact on the organization and the bottom line.
Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of Dallas, TX
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