Page 2 - The Leadership Line: March 2023

Rekindling Employee Morale

Having a company culture of formal recognition and positive feedback can help to
boost employee engagement. In fact, employee appreciation has such an impact on
positive team morale that staff are 2.7 times more likely to be highly engaged if they
think they’ll be recognized. (Source: The Importance of Employee Recognition: Statistics
and Research)
So, what is “employee morale?” Employee morale is a combination of employee satisfaction and engagement, which
have a significant impact on employee retention. Employee morale relates to how your team members feel about
their work environment and their role and value to the organization.
Morale can be tricky to measure. One way that MIL quantifies morale is through our annual surveys. According
to our recent Top Workplaces survey results, 64 percent of our team members are engaged. The engagement score
considers employee loyalty to MIL, feeling motivated to give their best at work, and if they would refer other people
to MIL for employment.

Some ways you can boost your team’s morale include:
1. Provide regular communication to your team so they’re “in the loop” and feel included. What has
your supervisor shared with you that you can share with the team? Help them connect to MIL’s
big picture and values.

2. Checking in and connecting with your team members regularly through one-on-one meetings.
3. Flexing working day hours when possible so team members can work when they’re most
productive. Ask your team member, “Are you a morning person or do you prefer to work later in
the afternoons?”
4. Tailor tasking to take advantage of each team member’s strengths when possible. Some team
members enjoy detailed, process-oriented work. They excel in creating and documenting
processes. Other team members feel jaded by the details of a process. Big-picture thinking is their
strength. They may be skilled at seeing a hole in the business or recognizing an area of growth
for MIL.

Be aware of changes in a team member’s engagement level. Everyone is entitled to a bad day when they’re just not
working at their potential. But, if you notice a pattern of changed behavior (recurring pattern of being late to work,
missing deadlines, decrease in participation during a team meeting, etc.), the team member may be struggling
with morale or feeling engaged. It’s important to open a conversation quickly when you see this change and try to
understand what’s happening. Sometimes, there are tangible steps you can take to turn around the change. Other
times, just recognizing the change increases morale and engagement because the team member realizes that you’re
concerned, aware, and invested in helping them succeed.