Is Bad Morale Eating Away At Your Bottom Line?

 

Deb Brown

Is Bad Morale Eating Away At Your Bottom Line?  It’s Time to End the Smorgasbord

When it comes to measuring success it’s all about performance and results.  Often employers underestimate how much workplace morale contributes to overall employee performance.  Low workplace moral is a leading cause of poor attendance, high employee turnover, lack of motivation and a disconnect between employees and management.  No matter how it manifests itself, if left unaddressed low morale in the workplace promises to negatively affect overall profitability.

So what steps can be taken to better manage the working environment?  First and foremost being able to recognize early on the signs that morale issues exist.  Often times employee wellbeing at work is overlooked because managers are either unable to identify the problems or unaware of how to handle them.  Some of the initial warning signs include:

1. Frequent absenteeism
2. Decreased productivity
3. Decreased quality of work
4. Apathy
5. Sulking and or moping
6. Backstabbing
7. Increase in accidents or injuries

Once identifying the warning signs the next step in the process is to determine the possible cause(s).  A very wise man once said “if you have a problem, find the cause, then fix the cause.  If you just fix the problem, you will end up fixing it over and over again; if you fix the cause, you only have to do it one time.”  I have always suppoted this philosophy so having the ability to identify why low morale exists is key.  Some of the common factors may include:

1. Unstable financial health of the company
2. Overwork
3. Feeling unappreciated or underappreciated
4. Demanding, rigid supervision
5. Unsupportive, weak supervision that is unable or unwilling to offer support or guidance

With the above in mind we can only surmise that there is no quick fix for changing up workplace morale, but there are some small steps that can be initiated on the part of management to turn this whole thing around.  Opening up lines of communication is imperative and encouraging employee feedback is a biggy.  It is important that employees feel that their opinion matters and that they are a contributing part of the whole.  Appreciation and recognition of employee accomplishments is also high up on the list, people should be recognized for their achievements whether it be in the form of a monetary reward or just a simple thanks for a job well done.  Teambuilding activities can also encourage and maintain high employee morale and support the effort that we are all working towards a common goal.  Lastly, providing an environment that allows employees to achieve a good balance between their professional lives and their personal lives;  flexible work hours is one example.  It is proven that employees able to better manage their personal lives are more productive when on the job so this is a benefit that should be high on your list of considerations.

These examples are just a few that have made a difference at my place of work.  Low morale is infectious and can easily spread throughout your entire organization.  We all need to be more proactive as managers when it comes to addressing low morale because if it continues to go unnoticed, we can all expect to suffer the widespread consequences.