Low employee morale can manifest in all kinds of ways, and if you don’t find a way to help workers regain their confidence and enthusiasm, it could spread throughout the company. Here’s how to detect and correct low employee morale.
What is Low Employee Morale?
Morale is attributed to the feelings and emotions your workers have toward the work they are doing day to day. Do you know how your employees feel about their work? You should. Morale is tied to productivity and engagement, and the numbers tell us that worldwide, only 15% of workers are engaged in their jobs. Why does this matter?
Employee engagement and morale are linked to productivity on the job. If your workers have low morale they won’t feel good about the work they’re doing and will be less likely to want to do it—or do it well. Employees with high morale are happier at work and more productive. Low morale workers are less collaborative, will have lower customer satisfaction scores, miss deadlines, or otherwise negatively impact the organization. If you’re noticing the signs of low employee morale, it’s time to work on changing the office environment starting at the top.
What Causes Low Employee Morale
A lack of professional development is a surefire way to lower worker morale. A recent poll showed a lack of career development is one reason workers disengage from an organization. When workers aren’t consistently growing or challenged the job will turn into “just a job.”
A lack of clarity around vision, goals or goal setting can also create low morale and unnecessary stress in an organization. If employees do not feel tied to the company mission, vision or values they tend to lose touch with what impact they are having on a day to day basis. Constant shifting or change in an environment can also send shockwaves through a company and eventually burn out the top people on your team.
Poor communication, especially during a state of constant change can create low employee morale. When organizations fail to communicate with workers transparently, people jump to their own conclusions, weakening morale and engagement.
Finally, the state of the COVID-19 crisis may have created a feeling of low morale in your workers. The constant stress, forced office closures, children out of school, all of these challenges, although not the employer’s fault, are certainly the employer’s problem.
How can the employer turn things around?
Correcting Low Employee Morale
The first thing you can do is create an environment in which the employee feels safe and wants to be engaged. This means instigating professional development opportunities for your workforce. When was the last time you had a conversation about where your workers want their careers to go? Even if it’s something your company does not yet offer. After you have that conversation, it’s up to you to make those changes happen, assuming the employee earns it and is also committed to participating in the change/process.
Do set goals with clear expectations and measure behaviors and inputs to get there. Work together with your team to create both shared and individual goals, set milestones, and then plot a course to achieve them. Set up ways to open communication and regular feedback with workers to discuss progress and obstacles.
Finally, communication is key to engaging and boosting the morale of your workforce. Do not let your workers worry unnecessarily, especially during COVID-19. Engage your workers by discussing the company’s health and what you’re doing to keep them safe.
If all of these efforts fail, maybe it’s time to bring some outside expertise into the organization. Blackstone Talent Group can help you turn employee morale around by bringing in the support and resources you need when you need it most. Call on us. We’re in this together!