In out last installment we looked at some of the more common causes of low employee morale in a financial institution or office setting. Knowing and recognizing the signs, however, is just the first step. It’s far better to feel empowered with actual steps to help combat low employee morale and transform your office back into a dynamic and positive place to work. Your employees, customers and bottom line will all thank you.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the easier ways you can help tackle and correct low employee morale in your office.

• First and foremost, you must get to the root of the problem. While this is a little trickier on a one-on-one basis, when addressing employee morale as a greater whole it gets a little easier. What’s bumming out your people? Did a popular employee lose their job? Are there rumors of future layoffs or downsizing? Has the typical work burden increased lately? Find out what’s bugging your people and then address it honestly, directly and positively.
• If employees are stressed out about particular managers, offer those managers employee relationship training. Many managers have hearts of gold and the best of intents and they certainly feel pressure of their own to produce. What they may lack, however, is the right touch to connect with their direct reports, empathize with their situations and communicate positively. Training can help address this issue.
• Nip gossip, rumors and negativity in the bud. Nothing will assassinate office morale faster than an ill-informed and vicious grapevine. The best way to combat this is to offer truth and positivity and let it be known that negative talk and ugly gossip have no place in a professional workplace environment.
• Offer team-building exercises. And we’re not talking about the “koombaya stand up and hold hands” ordeals 99% of humanity dreads more than a root canal with no anesthesia. There are plenty of activities and games that can get people to open up, talk and get to know each other better. This in itself is a great start towards addressing low morale.
• Make sure every job has clear expectations. You’d be surprised how many positions don’t have a complete job description or suffer with one that is hopelessly outdated. People have a better chance to thrive and succeed when they know what their job entails and what their benchmarks for success really are. When an employee can go home at the end of the day knowing they accomplished that which their job called for, they are more likely to come back the next day enthused, energized and ready to do it all over again.

These are just a few ways you can help tackle the problem of low employee morale at your office place. If you have comments, ideas or feedback, please feel free to share them with us below.