When the overall mood or morale of your employees in the workplace is high, productivity and efficiency occur. They have a positive outlook on their tasks and the quality of their performance is amazing. When their morale is low, productivity and efficiency can be slow, resulting in less quality of work. 

Low employee morale can be caused by many factors, ranging from a possible toxic work environment to an unexpected, tense change. For example, the pandemic caused a lot of fear and panic for business owners and their workers. Some companies had to rapidly adjust to remote-only operations, while others had to stop operations altogether. Timelines and projects were disrupted, making schedules hard to determine. This resulted in many feeling unsure about their future, leading to unfocused mindsets. The change from working locations, at-home set-ups, personal demands, caring for children and schooling schedules, all made it more complicated to stay productive, engaged, and upbeat.

It is important to meet low morale challenges head-on (rather than hoping for natural improvement). This avoids current tasks falling below company quality and standards, while also ensuring your best members don’t feel the need to look for other opportunities. We address the two most common signs of low employee morale in this article with suggested ways to address them.

Persistent Negative Attitude
If an employee is experiencing low working morale, they may have glum attitudes, especially if they have bad days. Even common levels of work stress can increase their frustration. Previously, those phases would work themselves out and the balance would be restored. However, if negative attitudes become persistent, especially for employees who have a history of positivity, that is a sign something is wrong and should be addressed. Short-temperedness or lack of cooperation can also be another red flag. 

The best way to address this type of problem is to communicate, identify the problem, and create a plan to overcome it. Make sure the meeting, virtual or not, is one-on-one to ask questions since the issues can be of personal nature. If it is a work-related issue, suggest strategies to subdue or prevent future problems. If it’s a personal issue, the employee may need some time off or flexibility in their current schedule. The key factor in this scenario is to ensure you address the problem while being sincere.

Mediocre Performance
If one employee experiences low morale, it can impact the entire team. Missed deadlines and increased mistakes can be indications of low performance. Identifying early signals can prevent the situation from affecting other employees. Boredom used to be a key factor for lacking output, but in recent events employees may be feeling overwhelmed. Workers placed into a new remote working environment may have trouble adjusting. This can result in easy distractions or becoming unmotivated to meet their usual quality of work. 

A good strategy to combat this issue is to create an environment in which employees know they are expected to solve problems in creative ways and demonstrate leadership in those situations. Clear communication is key, especially in remote environments; having regular meetings, virtually or otherwise, can keep employees up to date with expectations while allowing them to voice if their task might make them feel burdened or undervalued. Communication and engagement will help you understand what adjustments need to be made. Recognition is another way to increase work performance and output quality. During the busyness of adjusting and maintaining deadlines, a sincere appreciation when stress is running high can make a positive impact. 

As working practices and implementations change, so does the way issues are addressed within the organization. Staff Solve continues to provide high-quality candidates, employment tips and advice, and jobs in diverse markets for over 27 years. Let Staff Solve take the stress off you so you can focus on your business by finding the perfect applicant for the position. If you are looking for employment, please visit our job seeker page. For more news and advice, check out our news and articles page.  If you would like more information about the services we offer employers, visit our employer page or contact us today.