Page 132 - Anne Bruce - Building A HIgh Morale Workplace (2002)

112 Building a High Morale Workplace

It’s Time for Managers to Do Better
Employees in every position of every organization deserve
to be treated with respect and dignity. Employees will no
longer stay in an abusive environment where they must tolerate unrea-
sonable stress or neglect. Managers now know better; therefore, it’s
expected that they do better on every count.The bar has been raised
and successful managers know they must reach it or surpass it, if they
are to survive in this competitive world.

unappreciated jobs. They’re the workers you can’t afford to lose

because you’ve neglected to tell them or show them they’re val-
ued and appreciated every single day. These are the workers
who are often the hardest to replace and can be the most criti-
cal to the overall success of the organization—like those pot

washers at the Four Seasons Hotel.

What’s Your Approach?

Whatever your approach to handling the toughest of employee
morale cases, as manager you must invest whatever time and
energy is required to keep those people feeling good about
themselves and their jobs. Point out the big picture. Explain to
them the direct impact of their efforts on the organization’s suc-

cess. Translate it into dollars whenever possible. For instance:
“Susan, you prevented two accidents from happening this
month in your department by enforcing safety standards. I esti-
mate you saved the company more than $50,000 by taking fast

and decisive action. Thank you. We appreciate your quick
thinking more than you know.”
This is where you need to spend your energies in order to
repair or improve morale in challenging times and in even more
challenging environments.

Forget the Prima Donnas
Forget about focusing on the company prima donnas. Too often
managers spend inordinate amounts of time dealing with prob-

lem employees, instead of proactively managing and working to
retain their most valued workers. If you fall into this trap, you