How Leaders Can Raise Morale of Employees
Photo by Artem Podrez
Lack of trust, employer favoritism, inauthenticity, productivity-oriented, and lack of engagement are a few of the contributors to poor employee morale. Are you concerned about your team's morale? Are you in search of a few strategies to improve employee morale and ultimately, your company's culture? Consider these three experts' opinions on how to boost employee morale.
Lead with Openness
In "How to Lead Through Periods of Low Morale," Julia Korn offers ways to be open with your team. Be transparent, honest and admit when you as the leader are wrong. Inauthenticity lowers morale. At team meetings, open the floor for success sharing, shout outs and input from peers. Finally, give the team ample opportunities for open discussions. This helps to gauge how team members are feeling and also allows team members to feel their voices are important which contributes to strong team dynamics and better morale.
Treat Everyone Respectfully and Fairly
In "Qualities of an Effective Manager," Dr. Marcia F. Robinson explains that overall workplace morale will decline if teams feel favoritism is part of their workplace culture. Managers can easily become unaware of their inconsistent behavior towards their team members. Thus, be very cognizant and conscientious about how you treat everyone and check any actions that can be interpreted as favoritism.
Reenergize your Team
In "3 Ways to Reenergize Your Team When Morale is Low," the authors, who are professors, suggest that leaders revitalize, repair, and refocus their teams. Revitalize by helping the team revisit their why; as a team, ask, discuss and embrace why does this work matter. Repair: address any wounds that might exist and address the human problems; this will help with restoration of team wellbeing. Refocus the team with a strategy session that aligns people with their key objectives.