5 Signs of Low Employee Morale

5 Signs of Low Employee Morale5 Signs of Low Employee MoraleIf you need to jump into a time machine to recall the last time you communicated business goals or asked your team for feedback and really listened, you might want to take a look to see if your company suffers from low employee morale.Why? Because in an Accountemps survey, 37 percent of the workers polled said they thought their managers could do a better job at communication, and 31 percent listed recognition as something they wished for from higher-ups.See The State of the Manager-Employee Relationship slideshow, below.Impacts of employee moraleEmployee morale, aka the mood in your workplace, is high when workers are positive about their work environment. That leads to a boost in productivity, better relationships with team members and managers, greater staff retention, a stronger job performance and, yes, even laughter.Managers can learn to spot tauglichkeit issues with employee morale and deal with them head on before th e problem leads to an exodus of top performers. The first step is to take a look at five signs of low employee morale in the workplace - and ways to counteract it.1. Changes in attitudeIf you have unhappy employees on your team, it will show. Look for red flags - increased negativity, high or increased rates of absenteeism, or reduced cooperation or commitment. Checking in with workers on a regular basis will help you gauge employee morale and address budding problems.2. An active grapevineWhen communication is scarce, gossip, misinformation and conflict flourish. Even if you have bad news to share or dont have all the answers, honesty is still the best policy. The more team members can rely on accurate information, the less grist theyll have for the rumor mill. Good communication will help turn the negative into positive.Can you use some help to bring in some back-up support at your company?GET STARTED NOW3. Lack of initiativeUnmotivated employees go through the motions rather th an taking an active seat at the table. Foster an ownership environment in which people have the expectations that they should take the initiative, demonstrate leadership and solve problems in creative ways. Not only will that improve employee morale at your company, but it will help your workforce thrive in any kind of economy.4. Scarce rewardsStep up efforts to offer employee recognition with praise, low-cost awards and spot bonuses for accomplishments. Make rewards personal, and give them as soon as possible after an achievement to raise workplace morale and lower employee turnover.5. Poor performanceLow morale can quickly affect a teams quality of work. Signs of trouble include missed deadlines, an increase in mistakes or a decline in service levels. Ask your team members if they feel burdened by the amount of work they have to do. Take full responsibility for providing the support they need and creating a positive work environment. The Stat e of the Manager-Employee Relationship from Robert Half