Episode D.039 Keeping Morale High as Businesses Reopen

Show Objectives
Employee morale is essential to high functioning, productive teams. Current workplace environments have changed and with the change it brings new challenges in bolstering employee morale.  It looks like working from home is here to stay, at least in some capacity. The methods you used prior to the pandemic to motivate your office teams won’t exactly work for your remote teams and what you used to motivate office staff prior might be outdated as well. 
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What you Need to Know
Employee morale is defined as the attitude, satisfaction and overall outlook of employees and teams while they are at work or at times when they are associated with their place of employment. As a business owner, the responsibility falls to you to hire good people and to create a space where everyone feels confident to perform at their very best. 

Causes of Low Employee Morale
Causes of low employee morale have several factors in common. One of the biggest factors is change. Change in company growth, change in leadership, and changes in the company’s reputation in the marketplace can all contribute to low employee morale. Poor leadership, leadership indecisiveness and lack of clarity also contribute. How do you know if there is a morale problem in your organization? Take a look at these indicators of low morale:
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1. Resistance, lack of initiative or unwillingness to take on new assignments or collaborate with colleagues
2. An overall decline in work quality, along with more mistakes and missed deadlines
3. Team members stop sharing ideas or opinions 
4. Less frequent communication from your team, including fewer project updates or requests for direction and input
5. Increased pessimism or criticism 

What You Need to Do

For All Staff:

1. Communicate Often
2. ​Be mindful of different personalities
3. Solicit Employee Feedback
4. Lead Effectively
5. Create a positive company culture
6. Offer an Incentive Program 
7. Praise Often
8. Have fun!

Additional Considerations for On-Site Workers:

1. Keep Things Clean and provide basic hygiene amenities like hand sanitizer
2. Relax Existing Policies and Adjust Guidelines
3. Create Post Pandemic Policies and Guidelines

Additional Considerations for Remote Workers:

1. Streamline communication
   1. Create clear communication channels
   2. Include remote workers in announcements and updates
   3. Use a communication app
2. Make scheduling easier to connect remote and in-office workers
3. Be clear on expectations
4. Focus on results not hours spent at “work”
5. Trust that they’ll get the work done
6. Create a new work “community” for employees.

written by: Donna Kunde
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