Help!!! How to Bring up Employee Morale??

The positive attitude starts with you. Smile and approach each situation as an opportunity to solve a problem. Positive feedback to employees every opportunity you have.

Have a meeting with them, find out what they are looking for. See what thier Ideas are .

Sadly, some are only going to be happy with Monetary or food etc.. others will tell you hey, if we can change X,, that it will make Y better?

Listen to them, that would be step 1, Step 2 show them , as action speak louder than words.

Goo luck.

I had an amazing boss for a few years. He had a way of making you feel like you were a vital part of the team. He just let us know that he appreciated what we did and that we could come to him about anything.

Once or twice a year he would organize a "staff outing." We would go to a baseball game or go bowling. He did have the funds to treat us, but really, just doing something fun together made a huge difference.

Perhaps you could organize a bowling night. See if you can get a group discount and then post a sign letting people know when it is and how much. Let them bring their families. If you think this would be too costly for people, think of something else, but try to find a way for people to just have fun together.

Other thing you could try is a potluck. Where my husband works it seems like they have potlucks about once a month! There is often a theme - breakfast on the day before thanksgiving, someone's birthday, St. Patrick's Day - whatever. Sometimes I think they just make things up so that they can all bring in food. The food is usually just laid out, and people grab something when they need to take a break and stay a few minutes to chat with whoever is there. But it really does help!

Good luck! Try to stay positive.

There is an old Dilbert cartoon that goes like this (picture office manager standing in front of staff) "The beatings will continue until morale improves!" Don't be this manager. Seriously! I worked in a place like that. Much of my current management style comes from doing the opposite of what I saw there.

Here are things that I try to do (I am a small part of a large entity, and raises/bonuses are not within my control, so I have to be more creative).

1) Find someone to complement every day. Someone handles a particularly difficult guest without losing his/her cool? Notice it - "Hey, that was a tough one, but you handled it well. Good work." And be sincere about it.

2) Bring donuts or bagels to every team meeting (I assume you have weekly or monthly team meetings).

3) Speaking of team meetings, point out something good that someone did at each meeting, or even have them talk about it. "Joe, I noticed you handled X well this week. Do you want to give everyone your thoughts on why you think that interaction went better than expected? Was there something you did that helped smooth things over that others might use?"

4) Ask for your staff's input on issues, and take it seriously. "We've been hearing about problem X a lot lately. Does anyone have any ideas on how we can handle that so that guests aren't as upset by it?" People want to be part of solutions, but if you never ask their input, they will never feel invested.

5) Monthly potluck lunch. Find a reason for each one if possible. This month is Sherri's birthday. Next month is the first day of summer.

6) I advocate for raises for my people when I can. I have very limited control over that, but I try.

7) In a few weeks, I'm hosting my team for a summer cookout at my house. Just burgers and hotdogs and some simple sides. Soda. Families are invited. I'll let you know how it goes.

The real experts on this -- the people who really have the answers to this question -- are your employees.

Have a meeting (or a series of meetings, one on one, whatever's doable) and tell them something like this: "You guys do a hard job, and you do it really well. I don't think many people appreciate how tough this work is, but I want you to know that I do. And, I'd like to do something to recognize that. Just to be clear, I do NOT have a budget to give you all raises. If I did, I would, but you know as well as I do that I don't have the power to make that happen. But I do want to do something to make your jobs better, because you deserve it. Now I need to know from you, what should that something be?"

And then, whatever they tell you -- provided it's feasible and affordable -- do it. Just the experience of being listened to, of having their opinions respected, that should boost morale a lot.

I run a commercial construction business, and since most of our work is repair and remodel related, we are in contact with customers all day every day. The guys have to fight horrible traffic to get where they're going, and when they get there, people are frustrated because they've had to deal with an overflowing toilet, or a piece of equipment that is broken, or run their restaurant in the middle of a remodel. So I do understand the dynamic you are working with - unhappy, tired customers.

What I do is ask my customers for feedback after each call. (In our case, I have the tech hand the customer a satisfaction survey, and it has our fax number on it, as well as my direct email address.) For the most part, people are very happy with the work we do, and when we get an excellent review, I make sure to forward that to the employee (and copy my husband, who is our CEO) with a note saying, "Thanks so much for providing great service! We couldn't do it without you!" or something to that effect. In other words, just like you do with your kids at home, catch your employees being good, and call out the positives to them. The lift that they get in hearing that they've made someone's day will reinforce that it's not all just grouchy, ungrateful customers - a lot of people DO appreciate the work they do! And it helps to have a boss who recognizes that in a public way. In the event that you do have to counsel an employee, do it in a private setting. So, praise publicly, and coach privately.

Aside from that, do you have any kind of budget for an employee outing? We try to go quarterly - three quarters out of the year, it's usually a dinner and drinks (with taxi rides home), and once a year, we do something a little bigger where spouses are invited. This year we went on the Wine Train in Napa and took a tour of a winery. We all had a great time. That time away from work, spent doing something fun with co-workers can be a great team-building experience. Even if you don't have much of a budget, for your next department meeting, see if you can get everyone their favorite drink from Starbucks, or something like that. Just a small gesture.

Speaking of department meetings, if you aren't already doing so, consider having a monthly meeting in which you lay out your department's goals for the month. Describe how you will measure whether or not you've collectively met those goals (say, a certain percentage of guest satisfaction). It helps if everyone knows where the goalpost is, so to speak, and how well they have been doing against those goals. The goals should be "SMART" - Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound.

Lastly, if there's anyone on your team who is toxic - you know the kind of person I mean, where they just drag everyone down with them - let them go. If you have the wrong person in a customer-facing position, it can drag down your entire team, and that's not fair to everyone else who is doing their best to stay positive and serve your customers.

I've been blown away on my last few road trips through the south at the sweet and happy nature of the hotel staff in some places. I admired how they could be so cheerful when it is such a crappy low-paying job with unpleasant tasks and cranky people harping all day. I was tipping positions that don't even get tipped like the cheery lady clearing tables in the Hampton Inn lobby...It seemed like they were nice people and it didn't depend on the job. Even the cleaning people in the halls were giving sincere smiles and hellos...So you can BE one of those cheerful happy workers and treat everyone well, and also I agree with some others. Have a meeting and get honest. Let them know you have been warned that attitudes need to become more pleasant or firings are going to happen. Let them air their grievances and see if there is anything short of salary raises you can do to make work better. Are there any unnecessarily soul-crushing practices going on there? Unnecessary restrictions and treating staff badly by upper management? Sometimes there are too few breaks or employees are being jipped out of health care by clocking in minutes short of "full-time" and stuff. Do you have power to fix any big problems like that? See if there is anything at all you can improve and also let people know that they are being observed, so they can be aware. Sometimes people have no idea their bad attitude is being noticed in a way that can threaten their job. So lead by example and see what you can do..good luck!!

Let them know you have their backs. If they are being yelled at by a guest for something beyond their control, step in. Tell the guest you are happy to listen and try to resolve the situation, but please do not yell at the housekeeping staff.

When I worked at Penney's it was common for a customer to yell at an associate because the store didn't carry an item. We had no control, the manager had no control on what the store carried, all of that was decided at corporate. Having a manager step in abd tell the customer this helped disfuse the conflict.
Knowing management has your back does a lot for morale.

Is there at least 1 pleasant guest during the day? As for favorite guest, most ridiculous situation - whatever can put a positive spin on that.

You might want to google this issue specifically, as there may be some helpful info there that you can use quickly. And maybe asking THEM what would lift up their day. If there are small ways that the staff can have input/control, that often helps as well.

Recognize positives sincerely, even the small accomplishments - if someone does consistently good work, recognize that. Takes an extra minute to help someone, that too. Problems need brainstorming/help, not yelling. "What can we do to make this better/easier/etc.?"

The fact that your asking here shows you care - carry that to your staff. :)

Change it right now, huh? Wow. The late Zig Ziglar - whom I greatly respect - had a lot to say about employee morale. Here's one for starters:

https://www.creators.com/lifestylefeatures/inspiration/cl...

(Well, that link doesn't seem to go anywhere! So try this one - it's not quite what you're looking for but it's a place to start, too:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2012/11/28/zig-zig... )

You can look for more on the web site -

www.ziglar.com

Money is definitely handy for paying rent, but it isn't as good a motivator as praise and encouragement. People want to know that they really count for something, and that their superiors know it.

Verbally recognizing the good work and employee does goes a long way.

Thank you!, Awesome job!, Great idea! Be sincere when you do this. Get excited for your employees when things are great. Be sympathetic, and aware, when things are not so great. Be sincere.

As well as acknowledging when things have not gone well, not by shaming or getting after them, but with concern and allowing them to come up with a strategy on how to handle it next time.

A customer is pissed because they were made to wait WAY too long?

Maybe let this employee know they could have called for more help. They can acknowledge the customer and offer a short solution.

Brain storm these options. Maybe a free cup of coffee and a snack or a soft drink and a snack while they wait in the cafe.

Acknowledge it takes a special person to be able to do the tough job that they have.

Keep an honest smile on your face. Do YOU like and enjoy your job? Nothing wrong in showing it and saying so especially when you have had a good day and or successful day.

Work though the tough days and then acknowledge, "boy this was a tough day, but glad we got through it! I could not have done it without you guys!.

IF there is a negative Nelly or Nelson, nip that in the bud. I cannot abide negative people. I will ask them what is going on and how THEY are going to change their attitudes. Yes, 1 person can bring down the whole group/team. Work with this person, give them opportunities to have positive results and IF after you have been really trying but they continue with their attitude, remind them that everyone else is working and being positive, what is their problem?

I LOVE working with the public. I like making things better. I like when we can come up with solutions and I do feel bad if it doe not go well.

There were days when it was extremelty tough because things happen that are out of our hands, but letting the customer know, I am trying to honestly help them and am on their side, went a long way.

I also realized, some customers honestly have their own problems of attitude I cannot help, so if I was as professional or as acknowledgeable and straight forward with this customer as possible, it went a lot smoother, than if I fumbled around and asking for help is NOT a sign of weakness.

I have no idea how to do this in your department, but once when I worked in a small office, a mid day pot luck really helped us better connect. Later in a mid sized firm, we did shared meals 3x a week, (panini etc. and all brought ingredients and shared this meal together). That probably does not help you, but food did lots of good to make us feel bonded and together in my past work situations.

For you it would probably be better if the management provided the food. Lead by example and be positive yourself. Give out gift cards for observed positive behavior. Half day off for most positive attitude that week etc.

I work in customer service and something that really matters is public praise. If I get a good review from a customer, if my manager was impressed with something I did, if the manager can even just acknowledge that the person I handled was really tough and make me feel like he or she is on my team, all that helps. Frankly, morale can be tough when upper management passes down things like strict timekeeping, new rules about leave, doesn't allow you to give your staff the bonuses or perks they once had, etc. My DH's office is no longer allowed to give out monetary bonuses, but after tough days, sometimes his manager will come in with coffee and doughnuts for the weekly meeting, just to be nice. Just to say, "I appreciate your work."

I also agree with Mira. If morale has plummeted, why? Is there a bad assistant manager? Poor policy? Try to find out what the change is and why they are unhappy.

ETA: Mr. Change It Right Now sounds like HE needs help learning how to be an effective leader and improve morale. Is HE part of the problem?

Morale comes from the top down and requires that managers know their employees, and employees feel free to speak up. Obviously your boss is a problem and not good at building your morale since he "ordered" you to improve morale without any guidance and without getting you excited about this task. I think open communication and getting feedback is the only way to improve morale. I would ask my employees what they feel is lacking ? Would it help to post letters of praise from customers on the break-room wall? Having an anonymous suggestion box that gets read every Friday by the manager about things that need to be addressed (and then giving feedback to the group at weekly meetings)? Sharing a sheet titled "getting to know each other" with name and function but also interests & hobbies or how I will spend my summer within your group or within the whole organization? We are all both customer and client within organizations - one group may support another but ultimately the paying customer is EVERYONE's client because without them no one would have a job so quality/integrity/great service is everyone's responsibility, whether you sweep the floor or own the business.
While little incentives may help short term, in the long run you want to work at a place where you love coming to work and for most people that means being valued and appreciated. The owner (or your boss) can look at it in terms of money - that it costs the business money to lose workers since that takes time away from real work to find new employees and train them, so that is how you can sell whatever action to plan to take.
At weekly meetings I would start a dialogue by stating some of the above and letting employees know that they have a major part to play in making the workplace a place they enjoy doing their best work. You go girl!

As the General Manager, he has some ownership in helping you find a resolution to this issue.

For you, what motivates your people? Praise? Money? Direct access/interaction with the General Manager (if he held a happy hour for them or something?).

Sometimes, something as little as reassurance or thanks for working hard from leadership is all they need to put a smile on their faces.

Money!

You should be giving small bonuses where warranted. Yeah, you are working in a hard industry. I worked in a hotel restaurant for a few years in college. It is really hard when you have random people using you as a verbal punching bad because THEY had a bad day. Keep an eye on your employees. If they have a customer that is really being outrageously difficult and abusive, please step in and help to resolve the situation. Seriously, there is nothing so discouraging as getting yelled at for something unjustly or something that you simply cannot control or fix.

Morale is tough, but money is a big motivator. Think of what your expectations are... How much are you paying employees? Are you paying them fairly for what they are doing? Are you giving them regular reviews and raises? Do they have a pathway for advancing from their current position or are they just in another dead end job?

I have used some of the ideas in this book in the past with some success ...

http://www.amazon.com/1501-Reward-Employees-Nelson-Ph-D/d...

Are you the supervisor of your area? Your GM should be helping with morale ... IMHO ...

Do you have a positive attitude or are you complaining right along with them? Do you give them positive feed back seve times a day? Are you sympathetic to their feelings? When they blow off energy after a difficult customer what is your reaction? I suggest that you sympathize briefly with them in a positive way; then guide the conversation to something else.

You can sympathize without complaining along with them. This is a difficult skill for many people. I learned how to be a more positive influence on the people around me and with myself in counseling and in workshops provided by my employed. I suggest you find a program that teaches supervisory skills. Perhaps your superviser would send you to one. If not go on your own time. I found personal counseling very helpful because I needed to change my attitude. The counselor gave me confidence to make changes. We discovered together what i wanted to change to have a more positive influence in my group. He helped me figure out how to change my way of relating to people. He also coached me in what to say. He helped me understand both myself and others so that I could work more effectively to improve morale.

I started with a new company on May 1st and they have the following award:

ABCD Award- Has a employee gone Above & Beyond the Call of Duty for you? If you would like to recognize them for their efforts, please fill out an ABCD Award for their actions at www. Your feedback fosters excellent service.

The award is sometimes a gift card and sometimes 4-8 hours of leave time. The employee is also recognized in a staff meeting. The morale here is amazing!

In a past life, I worked in education. Talk about no money to provide incentives. I would have pizza lunches where we did a bit of departmental meeting followed up by conversation and pizza. I would let the other employees leave a bit early on a holiday weekend (the Friday before Memorial Day for example or on Dec. 23rd, etc.).

It sounds to me like you do need to figure out what the guests are yelling about so that you can see if you have some consistent problems (maintenance, accurate reservations, etc.) that actually need to be fixed. If it is one or two employees, you need to observe them in action to see if their attitude is why they get yelled at.

Remind your employees that if there are no guests, there are no jobs, it is in their best interest to have as many guests as possible.

Good luck!

Well, in the corporate world, sometimes the only way to improve morale is to fire all the unhappy people.
"You will be fired with enthusiasm else you will be fired! With Enthusiasm!".
Sad but true.

Find some good teambuilding exercises to do.
Provide lunches to thank them for their excellent service.
Set clear guidelines for how to deal with situations and give them the latitude to make exceptions or to give something extra to customers.
Check out "Baudville". they have a lot of stuff to go along with teambuilding.
Check out the FISH story about the Seattle fish market - we reviewed that will all staff and gave out small fish.
Also, check out the Give 'em the Pickle with bob farrell. We had a "pickle" committee for a few years that would recognize people for going above and beyond their job and then monthly a winner would receive 4 hours vacation.

Not everyone is motivated with money. Find out what motivates your staff.

Missy F. Wins the prized answer! That way complaints do not affect negatively.

Also, I'd be glad that my boss did not tell me what incentives to do to raise morale. I would be pissed that he told me how to do my job. If that's the case, he should do it. This gives you free range!

I disagree with the 'winner' tactic. That will make for negative competition. Do things where everyone wins: monthly catered lunch in the break room, monthly 30 minutes leave early (rotating basis), where employee choose the day to leave or come 30 minutes late. Switch floors or duties days.

You have free rein to go all over the place with this! I'd love such autonomy!

When I was a supervisor I did fun stuff all the time. We'd do ice cream Fridays during the summer. I handed out kudo bars as kudos for doing a good job. I got stickers and would hand them out. Employees could nominate their fellow workers for helping out in difficult situations and the nominees would get put in a pool with the winner getting a prime packing space for the month. I'd also give random extra time off so if you were having a difficult day I'd give you an extra 15 minute break. Keep changing things up and doing small things. Sometimes just a smile, pat on the back, and a cookie is all you need.

totally agree with TeenMom.
Your boss is part of the problem. anything you do will just be a Band-Aid
Not much a manager if s/he just tells you to fix things without helping you get to the root cause. Is there anyway you can speak to your team members and ask them what they would like to see change??

3G&aH2l-

Once when I was in the middle of the stack, neither management, nor support, management used to do catered lunches for things like admin assistants day. Guess who used to process the invoices for petty cash. The admin assistants. Guess who was peeved that $75 had been spent on a crudite platter rather than a cash gift or gift card, the admin assistants.

Sometimes a morale building gesture can unwittingly cause more grievance.

Just saying.
Best,
F. B.