Use Communication to Combat Slipping Morale
With the economy in a slide and many businesses either tightening their belts or shuttering their doors, it's no surprise that workers are struggling. Record-high fuel and food prices, declining home values, a weak dollar, and rising unemployment rates are hurting employee morale, and in a recent survey of 711 workers by Workplace Options, nearly half said financial stress is making it hard for them to perform well on the job.
What can you do to boost your team's confidence and productivity? The primary tool, says Workforce.com, is to communicate effectively with employees. Keep them apprised of major changes, present challenges in a realistic but positive way, and listen and respond to their needs.
Need help in conveying those messages? Watson Wyatt lists eight components to good communication:
- Be a leader - tell employees what you know, and what you don't.
- Show your strengths. Reinforce the core competencies and values that make your organization successful.
- Be visible. Convey your important messages in person, through Webcasts, or via other interactive vehicles.
- Use your team. Make sure the management team knows how and what to communicate, and that no one is a bystander.
- Be coordinated. Employees should hear company news from the company first.
- Share responsibility. Be clear about what you want your managers and your workforce to do.
- Forget about "message control." It's a myth. Instead, listen to employees, monitor the media, and have a process for quickly developing and distributing answers to rumors and for clarifying inaccurate statements, such as possible layoffs.
- Be humane. Acknowledge when employees are experiencing personal economic trauma and make them aware of any resources that can help, such as an employee assistance plan.