These days, it seems like people are switching jobs in record numbers. While many of them leave for bigger and better opportunities, many of them leave because they’re unhappy.
A Gallup poll finds that only just two in 10 workers believe their manager encourages them to do their best work. Having unhappy workers is never a good thing because people are therefore unmotivated to do their absolute best work, there’s a decrease in productivity and efficiency and ultimately a company may not be doing everything it can to help its customers.
It’s easier for some company heads to assume that lower-level employees are unhappy because their lazy, but most times that’s not the case. If you wondering what can cause low morale, there are several things including:
- No growth: When the company they’re working for isn’t moving forward and employees aren’t growing personally, they’re going to look elsewhere for jobs and the companies are going to going to look at a human resources executive search agency to fill a job vacancy.
- No clarity: A survey from Robert Half finds that the second biggest reason for a failed hire—about 30% is unclear performance objectives. Bottom line: if employees don’t know what’s expected of them, they aren’t aware of what’s going on in their company or their job objectives keep changing, they’re going to want to leave.
- Changes in leadership: Change at any company can be tough to deal with, but it’s often a necessary evil. But employee morale can take a big hit if new leadership comes in with a style that’s drastically different from previous managers.
So what can companies do to keep from having to go to a human resources executive search agency? A simple answer is to keep employee morale up. How does a company do that, by using the following steps:
- Communicate: One of the best ways a company can boost employee morale is to communicate often. Communicate the good, the bad and everything in between. Employees like when managers share positive news about the company and offer positive reinforcement. Asking them if they’re facing challenges or if they’re happy and then asking how you can help them in either case will show them you care more about them as just employees.
- Be transparent: Whether it’s good things or bad things, companies need to be up front with their employees. There’s nothing worse than being passive aggressive about a problem or not saying anything at all if you’re a manager. Honesty will keep morale up and won’t lead to resentment behind the scenes.
- Recognize employees: A survey has found that 86% of companies with employee recognition programs cite an increase in worker happiness. Employees absolutely love being recognized because it reminds them they are important to their company and their work is appreciated. Employee recognition with things like Employee of the Month programs and bonus and plaques and the like can boost morale, deepen employee loyalty to a company, keep employees engaged and keep them productive.
- Get feedback: Another way to keep from calling a human resources executive search agency or hiring consultants to fill a job vacancy is for companies to get employee feedback. Employees love to know they’re being listened to and that they’re valued. Employee feedback matters because it gives companies of what works and what doesn’t. By collecting feedback and acting on, companies can improve themselves and keep morale up.
- Offer training for managers: Oftentimes, low company morale is the result of an overbearing manager. The best thing companies can do is train their leaders the best they can. Train them in emotional intelligence, giving feedback, communication, recognizing employees and about different styles of leadership. Managers are tasked with making sure a company runs smoothly and learning how to encourage employees will keep morale up.
When employees are happy, companies run smoother. By encouraging employees and recognizing their efforts, employees will be more apt to stay in their current jobs instead of souring on their current situations and looking for other opportunities. By keeping morale, companies won’t have to look to a human resources executive search agency or executive search consultants for help filling a key company position.
