Unhappy Staff?- Is low morale costing your business?

Being at work is one of the most common cause of decreased happiness for a fifth of UK adults, according to health, well being and education charity, Central YMCA.

With employee morale being one of the important key elements among workplace culture, it is therefore critical that employers take steps to effectively manage and monitor morale levels in their workforce.

What are the causes of a low morale in the workplace?

- Unclear expectations

- Lack of communication

- Not being recognised for hard work

- No clear employee development plan

- No room for growth

- Unreasonable work load

- High staff turnover

The causes of low morale in companies vary, but the effects will generally be the same.

- Low productivity

- Low motivation

- Higher absenteeism

- Poor communication

- High staff turnover

A survey of 1,200 employees by CV Library found that 38%, more than a third, believed that a low morale in the workplace contributed to feeling stressed at work.

34% of those surveyed believe that heavy workloads cause workplace stress while 29% believe that working long hours is to blame.

With 57% feeling that their employer does not offer the support needed to help them manage workplace stress, it’s no wonder that low morale has a direct impact on staff turnover and retention. With high stress levels and a greater amount of strain, is it any surprise that employees are willing to pack up their desk and work for another company with a better working environment. This therefore highlights the importance for employers to address the issues of low morale and to take responsibility for the happiness, productivity and motivation of their staff, relieving them of some of the pressures they face in their day to day working environment.

So what can be done?

- Listen.

Take the time to talk with your staff, overlooking employee morale is easily done if employers are out of touch with what is going on the workplace. Employee satisfaction surveys can help highlight any morale issues. This in turn will increase employee productivity and engagement.

- Communication.

Effective communication between managers and staff will ensure that employees know exactly what is expected of them and will feel more involved and therefore will perform better on the whole.

- Avoid overloading.

Job overload can increase job dissatisfaction. To avoid your staff from suffering job burn out, frequent evaluations may be necessary to ensure their workload is not over whelming them.

- Reward.

Your staff are the most important assets to your company. So why not invest in them and provide an employee benefits package?

Going above and beyond to reward them for their loyalty and hard work is an effective way of ensuring your staff meet their potential, and will give them a reason to care about the company they work for, therefore staying loyal and dedicated.

A benefits package will show that their job performance is valued and will increase productivity and motivation, leading to a lower staff turnover. But more importantly you will have gained a happy workforce, a workforce that is willing to stick around for the long haul. What is more important that employee satisfaction?

Companies now, through an employee benefits programme with Excellect, are able to provide packages such as;