How morale levels affect the workplace
by Kirsty on Dec.22, 2008, under Training & Development
Morale is a way of measuring how happy a person is in the workplace. This can be done using various methods which include questionaires or interviews. Medicology has launched a morale testing instrument, for more details see Morale Testing Instrument.
Things that can affect morale levels include:
- Job Security
- Levels of Pay
- The Working Environment
- Chance to Progress (Professionl Development)
- The Management
Basically morale has two levels it can be high or low; if morale is high then it means that the staff are happy and productivity will be high but if it is low then staff are unhappy thus having a negative impact on productivity which can be potentially dangerous for example if a doctor has low morale then tey are more likely to make mistakes. It can also cause companies to have high rates of absence as low morale can have a detrimental effect on health as there are links between low morale and mental health problems such as depression. Please be aware that not illness is caused by low morale.
If you find morale is low first you need to identify what is causing the low morale once this has been identified there are a number of options which can applied to rectify this although everyone needs to appreciate that change will not neccessarily occur overnight although if change takes too long staff may assume that management is stalling and morale may further deteriorate therefore communication is key to improving the situation. There are lots of options which may help to rectify the failing morale these include attending training courses such as those provided by Medicology others include open negotiations with staff.
To maintain high morale it is important to recognise staff’s achievements, and offer support when you notice that they are struggling. Although it sounds obvious but most people fail to acknowledge their staff’s achievements I’m not saying that you have to spend lots of money to show your staff that they are appreciated you can use bonuses but there is nothing easier than simply saying: “well done”.
