What is Morale? Indicators, Aspects, Improving

What is Morale?

According to Keith Davis, morale means “the attitude of employees and group towards their work environment and toward voluntary cooperation to the full extent of their ability in the best interests of the organisation.”

There does not seem to be congruence of the opinions of the OB thinkers about the meanings of job satisfaction and morale. Many thinkers use these words synonymously. Even Keith Davis in his earlier editions of the book Human Behaviour at Work in earlier editions uses the word Morale, which in the subsequent editions is changed to ‘job satisfaction’. But we can say that while job satisfaction is an individual phenomenon, morale indicates a group phenomenon.

According to Morris Viteles “Morale refers to the condition of a group where there are clear and fixed group goals that are felt to be important and integrated with individual goals: where there is confidence in the attainment of these goals and the confidence in the means of attainment in the leader, associates and finally in oneself.”

Morale indicates the happiness of the employees with the organizational environment. It also refers to the preparedness of the groups of the employees to subordinate the individual and the group goals to the goals of the organization.

Morale essentially is akin to job satisfaction. It represents the integration of an individual with the team and the organization itself. Generally, it can be said that morale has a positive relationship with productivity.The higher the morale the higher is the productivity. However, this need not always be so, as can be seen from the following graph:

In the above graph,

Line A represents high morale, low productivity.

Line B represents high morale, high productivity.

Line C represents high productivity, low morale.

High productivity involves a combination of ability, training, work habits, performance goals etc. Curve A above where morale is high but productivity is low indicates the management’s failure in the proper discharge of management functions, chiefly, the planning function.

Productivity can be high in spite of morale being low because of the rigid systems and controls imposed by the management.

The situations where productivity is higher in spite of morale being low or productivity being lower in spite of morale being high do not last long. In the first situation, productivity is high because of the strict management controls and close supervision. It also happens in an atmosphere where the people are treated as machines. In this situation, the management is apparently creating discontent in the organization, which may blow up in its face. When this happens, the productivity also dips.

In the second situation, when morale is high but productivity is low, slowly people distance themselves from the Organization because of the disillusionment about the management abilities. In this situation, after some time, the morale comes down. Thus in both these situations ultimately morale as well as productivity are at their nadir.

Every manager is always interested in curve ‘B’indicating high morale as well as productivity. But morale is not a static phenomenon. Today the morale high but something may go wrong and the morale might start coming down. In other words, a manager must have his fingers on the morale in the Organization. No doubt, a manager can know the level of morale in his organization by morale surveys. These morale surveys involve drafting of questionnaires, interview people, tabulate and analyze the data. This may be time-taking process. Instead he may pay due attention to some of the morale indicators that give an idea about the status of morale at a particular time.

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Indicators of Morale

A manager should always be interested in knowing the level of morale in his organization/ section. Morale cannot be quantified. However, it can be talked of in comparative terms.

Though it is always possible or advisable that a manager conducts morale surveys, which can help a manager to know the status of morale the following are the morale indicators that give an idea to the manager about the status of morale.

• The rate of rejections of finished products by Quality Assurance Dept: The higher the rate of rejections, the lesser is the morale.
  
  
• The rate of wastage of raw material: The higher the wastage, the lower is the morale.
  
  
• Petty grievances: The higher the number of the petty grievances, the lower is the morale.
  
  
• Absenteeism: In the Indian situation, absenteeism is dependent upon seasons such as sowing etc. and the festivals. High absenteeism during these periods need not indicate low morale.
  
  
• Resignations of skilled personnel: In the Indian situation, there being large unemployment, an unskilled or a semi-skilled person, even if unhappy with the job cannot leave the job. On the contrary, however, a person having higher levels of skills can leave the job in case he is unhappy with the job. In the Indian situation, therefore, exodus of skilled personnel is a morale indicator.
  
  
• Exit Interviews: Since an employee who is leaving the organization is not inhibited by the organizational constraints, he can afford to give his feelings with regard to many practices in the organization. The exit interviews do constitute a good source of information for the management to set right many non-productive or the pernicious practices or procedures in the organization.

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Various Aspects of Morale

Morale and happiness are not the same

Supervisors often confuse the concepts of morale and happiness. Morale and happiness are two different things. Some happy employees have poor morale and some have high morale. Some unhappy employees have high morale and some have low morale.

Elitism is the cornerstone of department morale

Elite departments tend to have high morale because members take pride in their membership. They develop camaraderie, cohesiveness and loyalty to one another and their leaders. If one could still see, there was an almost tangible difference between the attitude of the marines and that of the members of the other two services in the US army.

In a nutshell, marines radiated self-assurance. They clearly felt that they had undergone a warrior’s rite of passage and had gained entry into an elite group. In general, members of the other two services were just glad basic training was over. Quite a few actually complained that basic training was not hard enough. As far as, I know in that early stage in their careers, the soldiers in all three services receive equivalent pay and benefits, but the difference in morale was almost tangible.

Departments have to earn high morale

High morale cannot be bestowed on a department or its members. A leader must set the stage so that department members can become the best at what they do. By implication, this means that those who are not among the best cannot remain as department members. When a leader stands before a mediocre department and pronounces them an elite group, he is not fooling anyone. Department members know department deficiencies. Such pronouncements by leaders engender cynicism, the antithesis of morale. The leader must set high standards and relentlessly enforce them. The department must adopt a culture of excellence.

The department must rid itself of employees who do not meet standards

Department leaders must ensure that poorly performing employees do not remain in the department. Unless a weak employee has some decisively and clearly remediable problem, the department leader must protect the culture of excellence and rid the department of the employee. Particularly in soft skills jobs, poorly performing employees tend not to improve.

Money and goodies cannot buy morale

Give people enough money or goodies and they will do ALMOST anything. There is no doubt that money motivates people to do things. While money may motivate people to do something, it does not raise morale. If someone were to pay me a million dollars a year to shovel shit out of animal cages at the zoo, I would do it, but my attitude would not be very good.

Generally, soldiers in elite military departments receive a few extra dollars every month. But if you spend any time with elite departments, you know that money is a minor factor in their morale. Poorly paid soldiers who have high morale are willing to die if necessary. High paid mercenaries tend to be less willing to die. They often avoid a real fight. People may work hard to earn money, but they can have lousy morale.

Good leadership (not just good management) is essential for high morale

Department members must have confidence in their leaders. The leaders must be leaders, not just by virtue of their rank, but by earning the respect and admiration of department members. A poor leader can quickly destroy department morale.

If the adage, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” applies to a leader, replace the leader. Familiarity should breed admiration. A good leader who inherits a department with poor morale can take a long time to raise morale. Employees in departments with low morale tend to be cynical.

Cynicism is a comfortable cocoon and it is difficult to dislodge employees from it. The environment in the cocoon is risk-free. Employees sit in the cocoon and take pot shots at management. If you do not trust anyone, you will not suffer any more disappointment.

Leaders of departments with high morale are vulnerable

Perversely, leaders of departments with high morale are very vulnerable. Peers and superiors envy them. Department members also tend to be envied. Envy is a vicious enemy. Insecure bosses feel threatened by subordinate supervisors receiving too much praise. High-ranking US military officers, renowned as paper pushers, not warriors, have expressed their envy by urging the elimination of the Marine Corps and Special Forces. I personally suffered from the envy engendered by building an elite department. My boss was openly hostile. Finally, after giving me an outstanding appraisal, he assigned me to a non-supervisory staff job at the same grade level, but with few responsibilities.

Leaders have to keep lines of communication open with department members

This is a truism. Yet, so many bosses are “too busy” to maintain a dialogue with their subordinates. One wonders why so few people in leadership positions actually do keep open the lines of communication.

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Improving Employee Morale

Improving employee morale benefits everyone involved in a work place. Boosting employee morale means that people will take more pride in their work, call in sick less often and be more productive. Happier employees mean happier employers, since the employer will not lose money due to inefficiency and lost time. Improving employee morale can be accomplished fairly easily.

Most people thrive on feeling appreciated. You can improve employee morale by showing your appreciation in simple ways, such as rewarding an employee by saying, “job well done,” or, “thank you for the good work.” It is a grave mistake on the part of employers to only interact with their workers when there is a problem.

Another way to show appreciation and boost employee morale is by being friendly and interested in your employees. A warm smile and a sincere query about how one is doing will in turn motivate employees. Knowing people’s names and personalizing the work environment inspires employees to want to help you.

Encouraging social interaction between employees and immediately resolving conflict is another way to improve employee morale. Social events such as office picnics and softball games create a sense of camaraderie between employees. Social interaction positively influences cooperation and a general enthusiasm about coming to work everyday. Isolation, on the other hand, causes depression and a lack of motivation.

Another way to improve employee morale is by offering reward incentives. A job well done might be rewarded with a gift card or a cash bonus. This reward can come as a surprise to the employees who earn it, or it can be announced as a sort of game or contest. Having a goal to work towards that directly benefits the employee can help create enthusiasm, which tends to be contagious.

A very important factor in improving employee morale is the work environment. Psychological research shows that atmosphere greatly and directly affects the motivation level and feeling of well being of the employees in a workplace. When possible, providing comfortable and aesthetically pleasing furniture is one way that researchers suggest to motivate people. Lighting, flowers and artwork can also help improve employee morale.

Obviously, providing a pleasant atmosphere is not always possible, for instance in factories or repair shops. In these types of environments, offering a pleasant break room or relaxation area helps to improve morale. In any work environment, safe and comfortable conditions improve employee morale by giving workers a reasonable sense of security.

Following are some of the ways to build employee morale;

Use variety

What motivates one employee won’t necessarily motivate another. Employees have different ideas and expectations for their jobs, so offering varied morale boosters is the best way to impact employee morale across the board. Forms of morale boosters might include compensation or recognition, or even a special privilege or perk in certain situations. Knowing what will influence your employees most will help you choose the type of motivational tool to use.

Allow employees a sense of ownership in their jobs

Invite and encourage their ideas and input. Let them know that you value them and their opinions. Implement their suggestions when feasible, and if you’re unable to do so, explain why you can’t. Treat your employees with respect and it will go a long way in helping them to do a better job and remain loyal to your company.

Recognize their efforts

A simple thank you note or card for a job well done, a birthday card, get well card or company anniversary card are simple, inexpensive ways to acknowledge your employees and let them know how much you appreciate them and they work they do.

Help them improve

Most employees want to do a good job. You can offer them training opportunities in a variety of subject areas related to specific tasks, customer service, leadership and more. Helping employees feel better about themselves will help them feel better about the company. eLearning courses can easily be taken online for little expense, yet they will still give a tremendous boost to morale and job satisfaction.

Make it fun

Sure, you have a job to get done, but making work fun will build morale quicker than almost anything else you can do. Allow for interaction. Provide activities outside work. Host a company picnic, or a barbecue at your home. Hold a “bring your kids to work day” or a visitors day where family members are welcome to come in and view what your employees do. Remember that your employees are people first and workers second. Treat them as such and morale will naturally remain high.

Communication

The combination of fear and ignorance is powerful, indeed, so keep your employees in the loop. Weekly meetings, open door policies and regular visits with employees will help quell the rumors that are often damaging to staff morale.