NFIB

How to Evaluate Employee Morale
03/ 28/ 2002


For the ongoing well-being of a company, it is vital for management to foresee and take care of problems in employee morale. If morale dips significantly for any reason, absenteeism can increase, work performance can be low, a larger than usual number of employees may leave, and the company as a whole can suffer. In today's Workshop, Jeffrey Moses discusses ways to measure employee morale before difficulties arise.

When management is cut off from the workplace flow, it may be difficult to accurately judge overall company morale. It's usually not enough for the president to question a few employees around the watercooler. Such employees are often reluctant to give management a true picture, not wanting to be the bearer of negative news.

A more productive route for management is to set up specific meetings with managers and groups of key employees for the express purpose of evaluating morale. When the tone of a meeting is professional, managers and employees will speak more openly, especially when they feel confident that executives truly want an accurate picture.

Questionnaires can be passed out among employees (to be turned in anonymously, of course). These questionnaires should contain direct questions about the individual employee's motivation and level of satisfaction with the company. Never put questionnaires in employee mailboxes, leave them in plain view, or send them directly to their homes. This tends to personalize the questionnaires and may affect answers. Remember, employees will always be reluctant to speak negatively to their superiors, even though they may complain about the situation among themselves.

Consider speaking with departing personnel about their motivations for leaving. Supply your human resources staff with specific questions related to employees personal feelings about the company and the company morale.

There are usually specific reasons for low company morale. Often a general meeting can clear the air. Employees should be encouraged to speak their minds, and usually a few will stand up among their peers when things are bad enough. Even so, smaller group meetings should be held so that management can grasp the entire situation.

In extreme situations, outside consultants could be brought in to meet with small groups of employees. These personnel experts can work with the human resource staff to design questions that will get to the heart of the morale situation. Consultants may want to meet one-on-one with employees. This, however, may further drive a wedge between staff and management, because when individuals are put on the spot they may get upset.

Employees may feel that a company is out-of-touch and insincere when top management is unaware of major problems among the staff, especially when such problems are long-standing. When management takes an active role in boosting employee morale, employees assume the company will correct any problems that are uncovered. Nothing can undermine company morale more than unresponsive management.

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