If your company happens to suffer from low employee morale, you might be tempted to ascribe a lot of outside reasons for that situation, according to a recent article in the Huffington Post. But the real reason and the solution lie in leadership. That means that you as a corporate manager are responsible for the morale of your people.
Step 1: Assume we are all adults
The first step to take to improve employee morale is to assume that your people are responsible adults who want to be successful and want what is best for the company. But you need to define clearly, so that there is no misunderstanding, what success is. Set standards high and encourage your people to meet them.
Some companies set arbitrary rules to govern employee behavior, ranging from what is acceptable to wear on casual Friday to even limiting bathroom breaks.
You are not running a middle school. You are running a business. Reward and criticize based on results, and you will see your people meeting such expectations as never before.
One cardinal rule for a manager is to praise in public but criticize in private.
When someone has done good work, single that person out for acclaim in front of his or her peers. Such praise will not only give the employee being singled out a healthy boost but will motivate the others to do more.
When an employee is falling short, discuss it with him or her in private, with the door shut. Explore what might be going on to cause the subpar performance and offer to help remove any barriers that might be keeping your subordinate back. Sometimes the issue is not with the employee but is something exterior that you have the power to deal with. In any case, a word or two of encouragement and a reminder of expectations are all that are needed to get your employee on track.
Above all, let your people know that you have their backs. Employees who know their manager is looking out for them will be motivated to work all the better.
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