Low morale can be very catchy and sadly, it only takes one employee to have the entire workplace poisoned. If management or supervisors ignore the problem, it can cripple a workplace of any size.
Sometimes low morale isn’t easy to notice. It can be as simple as employees who are not physically engaged in the jobs they are doing or who are emotionally checked out making it difficult for other employees.
Once moral is a problem companies often experience production problems that can affect their bottom line. For example, workers might phone in sick, take extra long to complete a project, spend too much time gossiping about how awful the workplace is, or be rude and ignorant to other employees. If the situation isn’t handled quickly, it can lead to other employees being disgruntled and upset. This can spread like wildfire and suddenly the actions of one employee have disrupted the work of many employees. In touch, managers know the pulse of the morale of their employees.
Whatever the reason of the low morale the manager needs to step up and handle the situation. This often starts with a meeting with the instigator – that meeting can be informal or formal to try to handle the underlying problem. This meeting should be tailored to the individual.
Management should also run programs that help to keep morale high throughout the organization, such as rewarding employees when they do a good job. Recognition programs can be very successful when tailored to the workplace and the workers.
Low morale can have many underlying causes. It’s great if you can address those causes but that’s not always possible. However, many times a lack of communication is at least partially responsible. When a manager spots low moral it’s important that he/she immediately open up a communication and initiate a dialogue with one or all of his/her employees depending on the situation. When that low moral is coming from one person than you need to jump ahead, deal with that employee, and find the underlying cause of the problem.
High morale can benefit a company in so many ways, so strive hard to create such a work environment.
Consider providing some fun entertainment a couple of times a year. This could be reserved for your employees or open it up for them to bring their families for a Family Fun Day.
Magicians David & Kylie Knight provide companies with jaw-dropping magic and laugh-out-loud comedy to make their event the company highlight of the year. Email them TODAY or give them a call at 214-257-0903.