Page 153 - Anne Bruce - Building A HIgh Morale Workplace (2002)

Winning Back Morale in Emotional Times 133

runs the risk of confronting a crisis. The firm estimates that the
most forward-thinking managers are the ones who will be best
equipped to handle the impact of an unexpected crisis on their

employees, drastically affecting long-term employee morale.
Simply being aware of the resources available can be critical.
Lexicon takes the position that, like the two Chinese characters
suggest, a crisis is a turning point from which prepared man-

agers are capable of creating opportunity in times of danger.

Employees’ Expectations of Managers Are
Higher than Ever

Surveys show that workers around the globe are experiencing
unprecedented levels of anxiety in the workplace and, as a
result, employees have much higher expectations of their man-
agers when it comes to helping them cope with catastrophe or
ease their anxiety.

Every workday, somewhere in an organization, there are
employees who are being forced to confront their fears when
they go to the office. You might be thinking that the workplace
has become a target for terror. It hasn’t. The real targets are

employee morale, joy, and optimism.

Xerox—No Stranger to Crisis
Employees and managers of the copier giant, Xerox, have
had to deal with their own crises. In 1999 seven Xerox
workers were shot and killed by a former employee at the company’s
Honolulu location. One manager says that the tragic situation helped
prepare the company to take specific steps to calm its employees’
fears since September 11. The Stamford-based organization worked
constantly to keep communications flowing and to stay connected to
everyone. For example, Xerox posted information regarding 9/11 on a
daily basis on the company intranet. It also posted helpful information
related to employees’ travel fears, such as advisories or state depart-
ment warnings on specific destinations.And when employees became
concerned about safety issues, they were told how to contact compa-
ny security for additional assistance.