Leadership / Management

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Kyle had noticed a decided change in his employees over the past few weeks.  They were quieter.  They gathered into small groups more often.  They were less likely to say “Good morning” when he walked in to work or “Good night” when he left.  Productivity was not exactly booming and Kyle was definitely worried about it.  The staff just did not seem to care about what they were doing.  The problem?  Low morale. 

Low morale is a common problem in today’s organizations and can be caused by a multitude of factors.  If morale is low, productivity will be too.  You cannot afford to have employees on the payroll whose work is lackluster due to poor attitudes.

Unfortunately, it is easier and faster for employees to lose morale than it is to boost morale.  A few factors that might cause morale to plummet are too many changes in the workplace, perceived inequities, unrealistic expectations, cavalier management attitudes toward staffers, and lack of employee involvement.

As a supervisor, you need to be concerned with maintaining a high level of morale among your work force.  The following are suggestions that may boost your employee’s morale:

Know how to spot the signs that morale is declining.  A top employee starts to lag — coming in late, taking long lunches.  Small groups start forming and holding gripe sessions at the water cooler.  As a supervisor, you need to be attuned to what is happening in your department.  You need to be alert to even slight changes in the atmosphere and the attitudes of those around you.  The key to dealing with low morale is spotting it at the earliest possible moment.

Nip it in the bud.  Many times it starts with just one person.  If there is one particular person who is bringing everyone else down, talk to the individual and find out what is wrong.  It is important to address the problem immediately.  If you can identify the source of the problem, you will be better able to stop the situation before it gets completely out of hand.

Make yourself available.  It may seem like simple advice, but it is a key to helping employees feel good about the work that they do.  Few managers and supervisors spend enough time with their employees.  Many companies claim that they have an open-door policy where employees can feel free to speak with their supervisors at any time about whatever is on their minds.  Unfortunately, the doors may be open only literally, but figurative barriers may exist that keep employees from stepping over that threshold.  If you profess to have an open-door policy, make sure it is truly open and that employees feel comfortable coming to you.  Also, make sure you go to them.  Circulate among your employees frequently to let them know that you are there and that you care about what is going on.

By taking an active interest in the work that your people do, by offering frequent feedback, and by being available to answer questions and act as a sounding board, you will help to develop self-reliance among your people.  They will know what you expect of them and they will know that you care about the work they do.

Establish a forum for airing grievances.  If employees are not allowed a forum for expressing their concerns, they will simply internalize the problem and talk among themselves — a situation that will never lead to problem resolution.  Hold a meeting where people can say what is on their minds and not feel intimidated.  Follow up is critical here.  If any ideas come out of the meeting, write them down immediately to show that you will follow up and that the time spent was worthwhile.  Then, be sure to follow up.  If you do not, the situation will likely get worse.

Treat your employees equally.  As a supervisor, part of your job is not only to view your employees as individuals, but to treat them equally.  This may sound confusing, but even the appearance of favoritism can create problems.  Employees are quick to spot a supervisor who favors one of their peers.  Once detected, that favoritism can create all kinds of bad feelings between you and your employees and between the favored employee and the rest of the department.

Communicate openly with everyone who works for you.  Do not tell one person one thing before you tell the whole group.  This kind of special treatment can lead to charges of favoritism, which in turn, can lower morale.  Be cautious in all of your dealings with employees so that you do give even the slightest appearance of favoritism. 

Mind your p’s and q’s.  Be careful how you react to employees and situations because employees may read things into something that really is not there.  Your employees take their cues from your behaviors and reactions.  If you come out of a department head meeting and appear frustrated, your people are going to wonder why.  If you deliver news about a new policy and give even the slightest indication that you do not support it, they are going to be hesitant to support it too.

Remember, you set the tone.  Lead by example.  Behave in the manner in which you expect your employees to behave and when you interact with your people, always put your “best foot forward.” 

Give constructive criticism.  Some supervisors avoid criticizing employees, particularly when morale is already low, because they do not want to make things worse.  Surprisingly enough, most employees value criticism if it is delivered constructively.  Employees want to do a good job.  If their supervisors fail to tell them when things are not quite right, however, they will continue to perform as they have been and be fully unaware that they are not performing up to par.   

Constructive criticism focuses on the task.  When you feel that employees are not doing well, approach them immediately.  First explain what they are doing right, and then share with them your thoughts on how improvement can be made in the future. 

Make your expectations realistic.  Do not expect too much from your people or you are bound to be disappointed in their output, and they are bound to be frustrated at your unrealistic expectations.  If people are overworked continually, problems will develop and morale will decline. 

Be honest.  Do not make promises you cannot keep.  The promise could be as simple as “Yes, I’ll look into your suggestion” or something more complex such as “Next year you will get a bigger raise.”  If you make a promise, you can run into trouble if you do not come through on it one hundred percent.  Be very careful about what you say so you do not develop the reputation as a supervisor who does not keep his or her word. 

Involve employees in goal setting.  Employees want to feel as if they have control over their work lives.  By involving employees whenever you can in the setting of their work goals, you enlist their support and their commitment.  You are happy because goals are more likely to be met, and they are happy because they played in role in helping shape their future on the job. 

Keep your head out of the sand.  There are some supervisors who do not want to hear about problems.  They are tuned in to other things and they just do not want to hear it.  You cannot keep your head buried in the sand and expect to run an efficient department.  When dealing with morale issues, you need to take a proactive rather than reactive stance.  You want to spot problems as they develop, not after they have taken root. 

Do not become complacent once you have developed a smoothly operating work force.  You need to pay constant attention to the mood of your staff and anticipate problems.  A highly motivated work group can turn into a grumbling group of frustrated staffers very quickly.  The methods listed here will help you to keep your employees contented, satisfied, and productive.    

For more information about Ken Chapman and Associates’ Leadership Development Programs, contact Ken Chapman at 205.366.0265 or email Ken at kchapman@leaderscode.com.

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