According
to sociologist Alexander Leighton, "morale is the capacity of a group
of people to pull together persistently and consistently in pursuit of a
common purpose."
For your organization or team to thrive, it's essential to take the time to develop good morale and engagement.
Almost
by definition, organizations or teams with high morale experience
higher productivity and staff engagement, they show lower employee
turnover and absenteeism, and they have a happier workforce. What's
more, they find it easier to attract and retain the best talent.
While
"raising morale" can seem to be a nebulous goal, many of these other
effects are measurable, and directly affect the bottom line.
Last but not least, it feels great to work in an organization where morale is high!
Why Morale and Engagement Suffers
-
There are many things that can cause team morale to dip. For example:
- Poor leadership.
- Poor communication
- Lack of empowerment or autonomy.
- Inflexible working conditions.
- Damage to the organization's reputation or public image.
- Losing a big contract or client.
- Difficult co-workers.
-
Heavy workloads or stress, with no reward or gratitude.
-
No sense of social value to the work being done, or a negative impact on the wider society.
-
Layoffs and restructuring.
-
Cancellation of team benefits.
Signs of Low Engagement and Morale
Too
often, managers don't realize that morale is poor. Whether or not your
team or organization is facing any of the scenarios above, watch out for
the following clues that morale may be slipping:
-
Obvious unhappiness.
-
Indifference towards customers.
-
Increased complaints about work, or other team members.
-
Increased absenteeism.
-
An increase in conflict between team members.
-
Insubordination or unruliness.
-
Disorganized work environments.
-
Increased employee turnover.
-
Decreased productivity.
-
Lack of enthusiasm.
Leader Engagement
Keep in mind that, if you're a leader or manager, your team's morale starts with you. It's up to you to be a good role model
for your team. If your own morale is suffering, then it's vital that
you work on rebuilding your own outlook and attitude first.
Start by identifying why your own morale is low, and then come up with ways to adjust your mental attitude.
Often,
this starts with action. For instance, perhaps your morale is down
because your boss is pressuring you to do a good job, and is threatening
to fire you if you don't perform. You can make yourself feel more
positive and in control of the situation by getting organized, and by
achieving measurable goals that will put your boss at ease.
Work on rebuilding your self-confidence. Remember, your team is always watching you: if you're feeling positive and confident, they will too. Quick wins will also help build confidence - for you, and your team.
Team Morale and Engagement
If
your team's morale needs rebuilding, there are several strategies that
you can use. However, just as you did with your own morale, you need to
start by understanding the problem. This helps you choose strategies
that best fit your situation, which may include:
1. Reconnecting With Your Team
Morale is higher in situations where team members feel close to their managers. You can create this type of environment by developing good relationships with your team, and by reconnecting whenever possible.
Practice Management by Walking Around
so you can "touch base" with team members often. With regular contact
and communication, you can reestablish trust and rapport with your team.
It also helps to develop your emotional intelligence: the better you can sense the emotions and needs of those around you, the better you will be as a leader.
Keep
in mind that lack of appreciation is often cited as one of the root
causes of low morale. So, do whatever you can to show your people that
you appreciate them. Reward your team
by saying "thank you" for a job well done, or by offering benefits such
as extra days off, or flexible scheduling when key goals are met.
You'll also want to give everyone regular feedback on their work. (See our blog on feedback - once a year just isn't enough!)
2. Developing Your Team
Another way of improving morale, especially after a round of layoffs, is by helping people develop their skills.
So
make sure that you're offering your people opportunities for learning
and development, as a way of helping them feel more secure and committed
to the organization.
You can do this by understanding their developmental needs, and by using Training Needs Assessments to make sure that everyone is properly trained.
Cross-Training
is another great way of building morale, and improving productivity,
just as long as you explain why you're doing it. (Some may see it as a
sign that layoffs are on the way!)
3. Improving the Workplace
Sometimes, morale can suffer because of the physical environment that your team has to work in.
Take
a look at the offices, conference rooms, and break rooms that your team
uses. Are these rooms safe and clean? Is the air quality good? Are the
rooms bright and energizing? Do team members have the tools and
resources they need to work effectively? Do what you can to improve the
offices and other rooms your team uses every day.
You can also use Herzberg’s Motivational and Hygiene Factors to address the factors that cause dissatisfaction in your team.
4. Improving Communication
Poor communication can be another common root cause of low morale.
Rumors
can spread quickly in the workplace, and these can destroy morale. This
is why it's important to give people accurate, timely information,
especially if sales are down, or if the company is restructuring or
downsizing. (Just make sure that your communications are coordinated
with those of other managers.)
Identify
ways that you can keep your team in the loop. Perhaps you could send a
weekly email with important updates, or devote a few minutes in your
regular meetings to keeping people up to speed with what's going on.
Communicate fully with your team, and explain how any changes or
decisions will affect them.
Remember,
the flow of information should go both ways. Encourage your team to
come to you any time they have questions or concerns. Listen
actively to what they have to say, and respond in a timely manner to
problems or suggestions. If rumors do begin to fly around the office,
address them immediately.
5. Setting Measurable Goals
Morale
can fall when your people are unclear about what they should be doing,
or what your expectations are. This lack of direction is disheartening,
and disorienting.
Make sure that your people are aware of your organization's mission
and vision, and of how their work contributes towards these.
Understanding these gives members of your team a clear and (hopefully)
inspiring view of what the organization expects, and helps them think
about how they can use their own talents and skills to fulfill the
organization's mission.
Next, look at the tasks and responsibilities of each team member. Set SMART goals for everyone on your team using Management By Objectives - having clear, achievable goals will help to motivate people, and will help them know what they should be doing.
6. Rebuilding Confidence
Perhaps your team just lost an important contract or project. If this is the case, people's confidence may be shaken.
Learn how to build
confidence in other people. One great way to do this is to give them
more autonomy to make decisions. Delegate tasks and responsibilities,
and push them to work towards challenging but achievable goals. And when
someone on your team has a success, celebrate it!
7. Focusing on Talent Management
If
times are tough for your organization, you might have a problem keeping
your best people, or enticing good new people to join your team. This
is another reason why rebuilding morale is so important: if morale is
reduced, your most talented team members are likely to be the first to
walk. (After all, they'll find it easiest to get new jobs.)
Use talent management strategies to ensure that your people stay interested in your organization. For instance, use job crafting to make sure that their roles use their talents and skills fully.
8. Keeping People Motivated
Once you've rebuilt morale and engagement, it's important to keep people motivated
so that your team can reach its objectives. Also remember that morale
can be affected even when times are good. Regularly look for signs of
low-morale, and revisit the strategies above when necessary.
Key Points
Team
morale and engagement can suffer for many reasons, including
downsizing, poor leadership, poor communication, or difficulty with
co-workers. If you suspect that your team's morale is not what it should
be, there are several strategies that you can use to rebuild it.
First,
focus on your own morale and engagement. Then identify why team morale
is low, and choose appropriate strategies for rebuilding it.
These can include:
1. Reconnecting with your team.
2. Developing your team.
3. Improving the workplace.
4. Improving communication.
5. Setting measurable goals.
6. Rebuilding confidence.
7. Focusing on talent management.
8. Motivating your people effectively.
To your greater success and fulfillment,
Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
SMART DEVELOPMENT
Take the Next Step...
Interested
in learning how to develop your organization's leadership capability,
culture, and employee engagement? We begin with a collaborative
discovery process identifying your unique needs and business issues. To
request an interview with Peter Mclees please
contact: Email: petercmclees@gmail.com or Mobile: 323-854-1713
Smart
Development has an exceptional track record helping service providers,
ports, sales teams, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food
production facilities, wealth management services, third-party maintenance providers, real estate services,
nonprofits, government agencies and other businesses create a strong
culture, leadership bench strength, coaching skills and the teamwork
necessary for growth.
Having worked with several companies
throughout their growth cycle, we have valuable insights and strategies
that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company
achieve sustained growth and prosperity.
Having
worked with several companies throughout their growth cycle, we have
valuable insights and strategies that would help any late stage startup,
small or medium sized company achieve sustained growth and prosperity.
No comments:
Post a Comment