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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Most organizations struggle with low staff morale.
- Effective business leaders take a personal approach.
- They engage consistently and share long-term targets.
Research suggests that many professionals feel lonely and isolated at work. As many as 81% of organizations struggle with low employee morale, suggests research by Opinium on behalf of tech firm Celonis, and more than a quarter (27%) of senior executives believe worker stress lowers productivity.
Business leaders who want to meet targets must ensure their employees are content at work and happy with the challenges that lie ahead. So, how can managers maintain staff morale when people are flagging? Five business leaders give us their top tips.
1. Give people a great line of sight
Sacha Vaughan, chief supply chain officer at homeware manufacturer Joseph Joseph, said keeping team morale up is all about understanding individuals.
“There’s no one-size-fits-all approach,” she said. “Different things motivate and distract people.”
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Vaughan told ZDNET that one of the great things about modern leadership is that it’s a focused task. Successful leaders direct people’s attention to the biggest bang per buck in the longer term, not the disruption in the moment.
“If you can do that effectively, it buoys people up because they’re not dragged down by the day-to-day issues,” she said.
“Great managers say, ‘Here’s the line of sight to what we’re trying to achieve, here’s what you’re doing, look how critical your role is, and look at how exciting the project is.'”
Vaughan also said it’s crucial to celebrate successes.
“I know everyone says it, and it’s probably cliché, but you need to look at how much you’ve achieved. You need to say, ‘It’s phenomenal, and we could only do that with a talented team,'” she said.
“So, morale building is about recognition, balance, focus, and painting the picture to ensure people are on the same journey. As a leader, you must ensure that everyone has a voice at the table.”
2. Lead your staff by example
As the most senior executive in his department, Fausto Fleites, vice president of data intelligence at ScottsMiracle-Gro, said he’s prepared to take the slack for his team.
“I don’t expect everybody in my team to do what I do, because it’s hard,” he said. “What I do for my team is that I expect high commitment, but I lead by example. I’m the one who commits the most, and they follow.”
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Fleites told ZDNET that his team values this approach because they recognize his experience and value his guidance.
“In many cases, they know what success takes, and I work with them to achieve the targets,” he said.
“That’s how I keep my team motivated, and I show them you need to commit to a goal. I don’t expect them to commit as much as I do, but I lead them by example, and they really value that engagement.”
3. Engage with people consistently
Kenny Scott, data governance consultant at energy specialist EDF Power Solutions, said business leaders should keep an open ear to staff concerns.
“Listen to them and find out what’s happening,” he said. “You can’t do that by just rocking up one day and saying, ‘Well, you’re a bit glum.’ Success is about consistency.”
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Scott told ZDNET that success is about engaging with staff. Don’t just talk about your priorities; instead, listen to theirs.
“Put some space in your diary at least once a month so you can talk, and not about what you’re working on and your tasks, but to say, ‘How are you, and what are your ambitions? Do you see yourself staying with the company? If you’re not with the company, how can we help you get to where you need to be? Because if I help you, there’s every chance you’ll get those skills and stay with us anyway,'” he said.
“If it’s got to the point that someone is leaving or is having mental health problems or even physical problems, it’s too late by that point. Engagement needs to take place from day one, when they start working for your company.”
4. Show what you value as a manager
Dave Roberts, VP of environment health safety at The Heico Companies, suggested it’s crucial to recognize that people will only perform their best if they’re happy in their roles.
“If you have people that can’t handle the positions, you need to get them into roles that are more fit for them, because it’ll bring the whole team down if you have underperformers,” he said.
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Roberts told ZDNET that keeping morale up isn’t just about focusing on people who are struggling.
Effective leaders also highlight high performers and their work to show lower-performing staff how to succeed.
“You have to recognize people who are embracing the right things and promote them so everyone realizes that’s what you value as a leader.”
Gro Kamfjord, head of data at paint manufacturer Jotun, said business leaders must find ways to build team spirit, potentially through unusual activities outside the workplace.
“I believe in doing things as a team,” she said. “Meet in different arenas and solve things, like in an escape room activity, where you just do something different and collaborate on tasks, but not within your area of expertise. That approach really helps — letting people have fun together.”
Back in the office, Kamfjord told ZDNET that great project managers play a key role in maintaining team morale during an initiative.
Her team has modernized its data infrastructure using technology from Informatica and Snowflake, with a new cloud-based data hub that enables faster development and provides a platform for AI explorations.
“I remember during the migration, we’d left the shore, but we couldn’t see where we’d started, and we hadn’t reached the point where we could see the end yet. We were all just focused on a bunch of tasks,” she said.
“However, we had a great project manager who kept us focused on how much we achieved. We knew that things were happening around us, and by the end of the project, we knew we were getting to the destination.”
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