Case Analysis on Low Morale in the Workplace free essay sample

THE ISSUE OF LOW MORALE IN THE WORKPLACE Prepared for Jack Smith Radar Systems Flight Chief Ogden ALC Prepared by Mary White Program Manager Radar Systems Section Ogden ALC February 27, 2011 THE ISSUE OF LOW MORALE IN THE WORKPLACE INTRODUCTION For the majority of the employed population, the workplace can be a daunting environment. There are many factors that contribute to this negative experience including difficult coworkers, lack of appreciation, confined working quarters, long work hours, etc. These factors are the underlying causes of low morale in the workplace. Low morale can have devastating consequences to productivity and work ethic, and therefore must be properly evaluated for possible solutions. Morale is more than people just being happy and eager to work. It is an entire thought process that leaves people feeling appreciated and fulfilled in what they do every day. According to The Free Dictionary, morale can be defined as â€Å"the state of the spirits of a person or group as exhibited by confidence, cheerfulness, discipline, and willingness to perform assigned tasks; or the degree of mental or moral confidence of a person or group; spirit of optimism. These definitions both use some of the same keywords such as group of people and willingness to perform tasks. These factors can be detrimental to mission success, which is why low morale is not something to be taken lightly. It is unrealistic to expect that people are always going to enjoy what they’re doing and not encounter any setbacks. It is when there is a constant feeling of getting nowhere, being underappreciated, and not having the tools to do the job that morale can be affected. The purpose of this report is to analyze the causes of low morale in the workplace, and to hopefully implement solutions to improve morale in our section. First I will explain why morale is so important in a work environment, and what some of the signs of low morale can be. Next, I will use statistics from other workplaces, based on the latest Climate Assessment Surveys, to compare the morale in each work center within the directorate. This will narrow down the causes whether the directorate as a whole is involved or just the section itself. This will provide a starting point on where to implement the solutions. I will also provide examples of other workplaces that have faced the issue of low morale, and some of the ways they were able to overcome it. Lastly I will summarize the overall problems and solutions presented, and propose an action be taken to remedy the issue. ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS I have been a working citizen since the age of sixteen, so I have experienced many work environments, all of them with varying levels of morale. According to Finger (2005), â€Å"morale is more influenced from the top down than from the bottom up. There is no single factor that consistently explains good or poor morale. Rather, a combination of related factors results in good or poor morale. It seems that it is more a collaboration of different events that contribute to the morale of the workplace. I will admit that leadership and supervision play a large role in the welfare of their workers. I am not referring to only next level supervision but also to the upper management that make decisions which trickle down to the workers. As a military member I experienced the worst environment for morale out of any other workplace. The problem in this case was the upper management. They were ordering mandatory 12 hour shifts every day and there was never any reason for people o be motivated because they already felt like they were being punished. The problem with supervision also was that they were not realizing that the fatigue and bad attitudes of the workers was caused by the 12 hour shifts, or if they did they were ignoring it. I believe a good workplace supervisor should be aware of the many signs of slipping morale in the workplace before it is too late. According to Chris Joseph (2008), contributor to Business Weekly, â€Å"Signs of low morale may be obvious, such as an openly hostile employee, or could be more subtle, such as an employees gradual loss of interest in the job. Some of the other signs are high absenteeism, customer complaints, poor attitude, poor work quality, and loss of groupthink. In addition, other leadership related competencies that contribute to low morale in healthcare workers include poor communica tion, lack of empowerment, lack of energizing staff, distrust of management, poor interpersonal relations, and inflexible working conditions (Dye ; Garman, 2006). High absenteeism rates among the most common signs of low morale. If you were to compare the attendance records from 5 years ago to today, it would show a 22% increase in employee absenteeism. If the employees do not feel like they are in a positive work environment, then finding an excuse to take leave or call in sick can be more frequent. One of the other signs I’ve noticed around the workplace lately is frequent lateness for work or extended lunch breaks. Since the Radar Systems require many customer interactions just too keep the systems running smoothly, it is of vital importance to ensure the workers are happy, therefore the customers are happy. Since employees work with customers on a regular basis, a sign of low morale is frequent complaints from the customers. Customer may cite examples of being treated rudely or indifferently, or may complain about a lack of follow-up on a question or problem. This type of behavior leads to dissatisfied customers and, ultimately, a loss of business. Another sign that the flight’s morale is not great is poor attitude among the workers. In addition to being openly hostile or bitter, an employee can exhibit a bad attitude in other ways. Some are not offering contributions during meetings or may be reluctant to help other employees. Some also display a lack of enthusiasm toward jobs and are performing only the minimum duties that are required to maintain employment. Poor work quality can be a sign of low morale, especially from a worker who was once a top performer. These workers may have been passed over for a promotion or are no longer challenged by their jobs and have lost interest. For newer employees, poor work quality could be a sign of low morale, or it could be the result of inadequate training or a lack of understanding of the job requirements. I believe we have both of these scenarios in our workplace. Groupthink in our flight has also been affected by low morale. As the saying goes, misery loves company. In the workplace, disgruntled employees often hang out together to complain. Our cubicle aisles seem to be filled with a lot more whining and complaining people. If you notice several low-achieving employees who are constantly congregating around the water cooler or in the break room and speaking in hushed tones, it could be a sign that the low morale is widespread. Now that I’ve explained some of the indicators of low morale in the workplace, I’ll introduce some of the statistics comparing our workplace to others. The Air Force Climate assessment Survey is a tool used to identify areas in the workplace that need improvement. This is a great opportunity for you to provide feedback about how well your leadership and organizations are functioning, said Gen. John Jumper, Air Force chief of staff. Sustaining the worlds pre-eminent air and space force requires excellence in the work environment. This survey will provide valuable information to all Air Force leaders to achieve that goal. (Solomon, 2003) According to the Air Force Climate Assessment Surveys of 2009 and 2010, workplace morale has plummeted by almost 30%. Survey analysis showed: Forty-two percent of all survey respondents are generally unsatisfied with their jobs, a two-point decrease since the 2008 survey. While up slightly from 2008, civilians indicated they generally don’t have trust in their units senior leadership and direct supervisor.   The 2008 survey showed that the strain on manpower and time continues to be a concern for the total force. The majority of home-station civilians report an increase in levels of stress, workload and hours worked due to personnel being deployed. Despite the perceived increase in stress levels, workload and work hours, overall retention numbers remained steady with the 2008 survey. Most importantly, according to the behavioral scientists at AFMA, among those who completed the survey, civilians whose leaders used the 008 survey results to make improvements within the organization tended to mark slightly agree or higher to questions about unit performance, satisfaction, unit flexibility and unit commitment. This shows that the survey results have actually been used by leadership to make improvements in the workplace. Now based on the results of the Climate Assessment Surveys, I believe supervisors can use these to implement changes in the workplace that can positively impact morale. Here are some other ideas that can improve morale. * Recognize birthdays and personal accomplishments. Most employees appreciate it when their supervisors remember their birthdays or acknowledge personal milestones. Knowing that managers are aware of employees lives outside of work makes them feel like a valued member of the team rather than just anonymous workers. * Treat them with respect. Treat employees with the courtesy and respect they deserve — say please and thank you, ask about their weekend, and take an interested in projects that they’re working on. * Establish an employee-recognition program. Employees want supervisors to be aware and appreciative of their work. Create an employee-of-the-month program or a wall of fame to recognize workers’ notable contributions. Such programs demonstrate an employers appreciation and also offer incentives for other staff members to increase their productivity. * Check in with staff members. Hold meetings with individual workers or groups of employees several times throughout the year to address any questions or concerns that they may have. Ask for their feedback and reactions to new company policies, and be sure to update them on what steps youve taken to solve any problems. Back them up. Though customer satisfaction is important to every business, supervisors must support their employees if they encounter problems despite having followed company protocol. Don’t let your workers get yelled at or mistreated by customers or co-workers. * Get to know them. Ask about hobbies and interests, find out if they have spouses or children, and talk about your respective plans for the weekend. * Offer fina ncial rewards. Performance bonuses are easy ways for managers to show appreciation for employees outstanding achievements. And there is no doubt that workers like them. * Conduct employee-satisfaction surveys. If nothing you do seems to be improving employee morale, conduct a survey to determine what is making workers unhappy. In short, an unhappy employee is an unproductive employee. I believe supervisions needs to pursue policies like the ones mentioned above to help the workplace become a more enjoyable place to work. Not only will employees start to look forward to their workdays, but the organization will benefit from newfound efficiency. Conclusion I have explained why morale is so important in a work environment, and what some of the signs of low morale can be. Then I used statistics from other workplaces, based on the latest Climate Assessment Surveys, to compare the morale in each work center within the directorate. Lastly I summarized the overall problems and solutions presented. In conclusion, employee morale can make or break the organization. Employees with higher morale have a better attitude, maintain higher customer service levels and are more productive. On the other hand, bad morale reduces efficiency and productivity, spreading through an organization quickly from just a handful of disgruntled employees if left unchecked. emeraldinsight. comemeraldinsight. com WORKS CITED Fink, Nicole. â€Å"The High Cost of Low Morale: How to Address Low Morale in the Workplace through Servant Leadership. † The Leading Edge, Retrieved Feb. 2011. ;http://www. roberts. edu/Academics/AcademicDivisions/BusinessManagement/msl/Community/Journal/TheHighCostofLowMorale. htm; Garner, Robert. â€Å"How to Improve Employee Morale. Steps to Success. Retrieved Feb 2011. ;www. humannatureatwork. com/employee-morale-article-3-partII. htm; â€Å"Morale Boosters That Work. † Find Articles. com. 2008. Retrieved Feb 2011. ;findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m0IBP/is /ai_110458539/; Rothberg, Deborah. â€Å"HR Execs: Lousy Leadership Is Leading Cause of Low Morale. † CIO Insight. 2006. Retrieved Feb. 2011. ;http://www. cioinsight. com/c/a/Past-News /HR-Execs-Lousy-Leadership-Is-Leading-Cause-of-Low-Morale/; Rowden, April. â€Å"Air Force Climate Survey