Declining Office Morale? Try 3C’s to Boost It Back.
More changes are happening as the pandemic continues, forcing organizations and the employees within it to adapt once again. Increasing COVID-19 cases, especially at workplace settings drives some companies to implement work from home and remote working once again. Some other still requires the employees to work from office, however with more strict protocols. Unfortunately, we also see that several companies are forced to conduct salary cuts, unpaid leave, or layoff in order to survive.
You see — a lot aspects of work change, causing feelings of uncertainties and confusion. A company might change its business model, policies, programs and it all affects employees’ responsibilities, roles, and work habits. Not to mention, lives is not only at work — surely other life aspects are affected as well and we can’t deny the impact on physical and mental health. According to Counseling and Development Center ‘Personal Growth’, there are 327 cases of mental health problems from March to May, with 33% related to COVID-19. Nova Riyanti Yusuf, Head of Indonesian Psychiatric Association (PDSKJI) also stated that 69% of Indonesians experience psychological problems during the pandemic based on 2.364 respondents’ self-assessment. This is only what is reported and known — in reality there might be more.
Undeniably, this will also affect employee and office morale (see my previous article about Kubler Ross Change Curve here), possibly causing deterioration in productivity and efficiency in the workplace as well. This is why it is very crucial for business leaders and its HR team to be mindful of employees’ condition and provide support for employees. Caring for your employees might seem like a hassle and less of a priority during this time. However, believe it or not, people are the company’s greatest asset and their contribution is needed for a company to survive during this tough time. A Limeade Employee Care Report found that 1 in 3 employees have left a job because they didn’t feel their employer cared about them as a person. Kurter (2020) said that productivity, morale and engagement deteriorate due to workers growing resentful for employers not caring about what they’re going through. So yes, the pandemic requires employers to prioritize their employees even more, not only caring for the results and benefits they bring but also for them as a person.
How Can We Boost Office Morale?
If you are willing to put effort into boosting employee morale, your next question might be “How?”. From my own search, there are way too many practical ways to boost office morale. I personally believe that one size doesn’t fit all due to differences in resources and employee characteristics, but from many resources that I’ve read, I conclude the principles that underline most practices to be 3C’s.
Compassion
The first principle, the most fundamental thing that employers has to do for the employees during this situation is to be compassionate. Seppala (2013) defines compassion as an emotional response as we perceive suffering and it involves an authentic desire to help. It often includes empathic response (mirroring of another’s emotion) and altruistic behavior (action that benefits someone else). Here’s how we can turn compassion into reality:
- Find out about employees’ condition
Logically, life and work must go on but realistically it is not that easy to adapt. You might be annoyed that employees are being unclear, sensitive, less responsive, disrespectful, unproductive, etc. However, try to acknowledge that this is a hard situation that we’re dealing with. Try to understand your employees by asking them personally or gathering employee feedback (this action itself can show employees that you’re listening and motivate them, especially if you act on their feedback).
Reading articles or news about the current situation can also give helpful insights. For example, you can learn that work from home or remote working come with challenges, such as feeling of loneliness, lack of personal interactions, and feeling that their work is unnoticed (Remoters, 2019). Lack of definition on working hours can also make employees feel like they work without time or space limitations. Another example in layoff cases, while we think that layoff survivors will most likely feel lucky and work harder, studies show that it’s possible that they experience “survivor guilt”. Survey reported that surviving workers commonly feel guilty, anxious, and angry. 74% of those survivors say that their own productivity has declined since the layoff. Those issues are definitely something that employers have to check on and address.
- Provide support to employees
After finding out about your employees’ condition and their needs, Kurter (2020) suggest business leaders to be empathetic, understanding, and flexible as employees try to adapt to unexpected changes. Welchman (2020) further mentions that employees need support for mind, body, and purpose. Help employees manage their energy by creating opportunities to pause and reflect. Encourage healthy habits such as mindfulness, getting enough sleep, and regular physical exercise. To instill a sense of purpose, encourage employees staying in touch with loved ones, supporting each other, creating a sense of community, and figuring out how they can really give back during these difficult times.
It seems much easier to let your employees handle themselves on their own but again showing empathy and flexibility as well as prioritizing employees’ health can bring a meaningful impact. It doesn’t only help boost employee morale now, but it can also improve employee experience and how the employer is seen in the future.
Communication
Low employee morale can also be caused by lack of clarity on what is expected and what is going on in the company (Regan, 2020). This is why one of the most mentioned ways to boost office morale is about communicating to employees. Here’s how employers are suggested to communicate:
- Be open, clear and transparent.
Inform employees about company updates, new protocols, expectations, and more. Peppercorn (2020) said that avoiding to talk about difficult topics can further lower trust towards the management and the company. If there is a layoff, managers have to help survivors see the company’s decisions and explain. Clarify if the company has plans to provide career-transition services or plans to rehire as well. Or if the company doesn’t know exactly what to do yet, share that the company is still trying to figure it out and will keep employees updated. Employees respect honesty and when they understand that the leaders are putting their best effort for future stability while treating people with dignity, they are more likely to respond with their best efforts as well.
- Have a frequent, two-way communication
Communicate regularly about things that are important to you employees. Have a dialogue and check-in with your employees, such as how they are doing and feeling, what challenges they are facing, and more. Leaders have to engage with their people systematically and often (Peppercorn, 2020). Again, in layoff cases, companies can consider providing training and discussion to help managers deliver empathetic and consistent messaging about layoffs. Employers can also conduct virtual town-hall meetings or add time at the end of meetings to facilitate two-way communication and provide a safe space for employees to talk, ask questions, and process their emotions. Welchman (2020) adds that many leaders have found that creating spaces for conversation that builds a sense of community can make a great difference. It can be short coffee chats between workers over video conference or even town halls with a rather undirected agendas so people can just share how they’re feeling and check in.
In overall, communication is another impactful habit that won’t only boost office morale but also employees’ productivity. A study found that employees who gave their managers high scores for visibility, approachability, and candor were 72% less likely to report a decrease in their productivity. Therefore, leaders need to communicate — be visible, approachable and candid about the state of things so as to build trust and credibility.
Construct
Another way to boost employee morale is by giving them a sense of purpose — a goal they can work towards and something to look forward to. During the pandemic, employees might experience decreasing sense of purpose— possibly because the company itself has to reconsider and readjust their plans or goals in order to adapt. Therefore, it is first and foremost important for business leaders to construct again their objectives, know where the companies want to go and what employees need to do. At the same time, let employees process their feelings and gain understanding of the current situation through compassion and communication as explained before.
When both the company and the employees are ready to move on, share and restate organization’s purpose and values as well as connect everyone’s work to it. Peppercorn (2020) shares that the most effective way is by sharing how, collectively, employees are making a positive impact in other people’s lives, whether it is customers, employees, communities, and those they care about. Construct a clear sense of direction and provide a clear view of how the work of the company connects with what society needs right now.
Those 3C’s — compassion, communication, and construct are three principles that you can use as you try to boost office morale in most situation, including in this pandemic. This can serve as a guideline, but at the same time giving you freedom to do what is most suitable for the employees. Hereby I share some interesting practices that I find, which hopefully can give you more ideas:
- ITC Hotels strives to maintain personal connection with the employees. Each HR manager contacts minimum 10 employees daily to ask about their health and safety as well as their family members to extend necessary support.
- Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages on the other hand launched a virtual employee engagement program which aims to involve employees and their family members online for their physical and mental wellness. Virtual town halls at all levels is also conducted to keep everyone updated and seek employees’ inputs on the best course of action.
- CEO and founder of Limeade gives weekly guidance to all employees on key topics, such as self-care, working from home, travel policies and staying safe.
Hopefully this article can provide you with new insights as you strive to boost office morale. I think it won’t be an easy task, but surely it will greatly help many employees. If this article is insightful for you, please give it a clap and share it to your friends! Or if you have any feedback or opinions or maybe ideas for the next article, feel free to connect with me here or e-mail me at janicealberta@gmail.com and share your thoughts!
References
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Intan, G. (2020, July 29). Klaster perkantoran meningkat, satgas COVID-19 sarankan kembali ‘WFH’. VOA Indonesia. https://www.voaindonesia.com/a/klaster-perkantoran-meningkat-satgas-covid-19-sarankan-kembali-wfh-/5522290.html
Iswara, M. A. (2020, June 9). More mental health workers needed to address effects of COVID-19. TheJakartaPost. https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/06/09/more-mental-health-workers-needed-to-address-effects-of-covid-19.html
Kiswondari (2020, July 29). 69 persen masyarakat Indonesia alami masalah psikologi selama pandemi COVID-19. Okezone. https://nasional.okezone.com/read/2020/07/29/337/2253849/69-persen-masyarakat-indonesia-alami-masalah-psikologi-selama-pandemi-covid-19?page=1
Kurter, H. L. (2020, March 10). 3 ways to keep employee morale up during the Coronavirus outbreak. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/heidilynnekurter/2020/03/10/3-ways-to-keep-employee-morale-up-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/#11e3da1b1b43
McKinsey & Company (2020, June 12). Fostering employee productivity and morale through COVID-19. McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/about-us/covid-response-center/leadership-mindsets/podcasts/fostering-employee-productivity-and-morale-through-covid-19
Murphy (n.d.). Don’t expect layoff survivors to be grateful. LeadershipIQ. https://www.leadershipiq.com/blogs/leadershipiq/29062401-dont-expect-layoff-survivors-to-be-grateful
Regan, R. (2020, March 17). 10 effective ways to boost employee morale in 2020. Connecteam. https://connecteam.com/boost-employee-morale/
Remoters (2019). Remote work trends for 2019: The present & future of remote work. Remoters. https://remoters.net/remote-work-trends-future-insights-2019/
Seppala, E. (2013). Compassion: Our first instict. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/feeling-it/201306/compassion-our-first-instinct
