Low morale is a company killer

So long, 2020. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

This year has been a long slog, and there have been very real casualties along the way. On the business side, chances are the pandemic affected every part of your operation from your supply chain to your shipping department.

These departmental woes likely are temporary, however. As business conditions improve, a return to normal will occur. Where the effects may linger is in employee morale.

Morale is a lot like goaltending: You find out it’s not good enough only when you need it the most. To thrive in the post-COVID world, whenever that happens, Canadian manufacturers need to have engaged workers who are passionate about what they do.

It’s up to owners and managers to create a workplace where every employee feels confident in their abilities, secure in their position, and well trained enough to perform their tasks to the best of their abilities.

In a manufacturing setting, employees with high morale will produce parts that are of high quality because they care about the little things. They keep their station, machine, and setup area clean because they care about their job and the company that they work for. Parts will reflect that care.

Having high employee morale even aids in worker retention.

Low employee morale, however, can most often be traced back to poor leadership. This can be a tough pill to swallow for some, but bad managers can create poor workers. People in leadership positions need to understand that their behaviour affects their staff.

Luckily, there are some tried-and-true methods for improving workplace morale. Here are a few:

• Be open and transparent. Employees need honesty, so keeping them up to date on customer feedback (good and bad), key performance indicators, and company mission statement goals is important. Having a good internal communication plan/structure can help boost lagging morale. It’s never a bad thing to loop an employee into a conversation that can affect them and their job.
• Recognize jobs that are well done. Creating employee-focused recognitions for well-done and on-time jobs is an easy way to boost morale. In How Full Is Your Bucket, authors Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton write that employees who receive regular, positive recognition have increased individual productivity, increased engagement, are more likely to stay with their employer, and have fewer work accidents.
• Keep calm and carry on. Reducing stress and maintaining a healthy work-life balance are important in every 21st century business. An employee assistance program (EAP) helps workers deal with at-home and at-work stress and can help improve performance and morale.