Page 23 - Anne Bruce - Building A HIgh Morale Workplace (2002)

Business on Planet Earth, No Longer as We Know It 3

Co-Creating a High-Performing Workplace

If you and your employees are going to co-create a high morale

workplace, then you must have esprit de corps, because morale
can exist only when people feel special. American Express has
used this strategy quite successfully with its popular slogan,
“Membership has its privileges.” One of your first steps in co-
creating a high morale environment is to establish group

identity. Whenever you
create a group identity that Esprit de corps French
makes all employees feel term for a sense of unity
good about themselves, and common purpose

you’re also creating esprit among members of a group.With
esprit de corps, people feel special,
de corps. So begin by
sharing in something important.What
establishing a sense of
high morale is to individuals, esprit de
pride and belonging
corps is to the group.They really rein-
among the members of force one another.

your team. Building group
morale and building a high morale workplace go hand in hand.
Another way to bring about high morale in an organization is
to make sure employees are sufficiently trained, so they can be

confident about doing their jobs well. Be sure employees get
ongoing opportunities for training and self-directed learning
whenever possible, such as recommended reading lists, semi-
nars, group discussions, or brown-bag lunches where employ-
ees get together informally and discuss issues and solutions for
improvement within the organization or department.

Another way to build morale and promote esprit de corps is
through sharing positive experiences and feelings. One thing
you can do is initiate a voluntary “good news hour” once a
week before work begins, to allow time for employees to share

all of the good things that have happened to them on the job in
the past week.
Because you’re the manager, you significantly and directly
influence the level of morale in your organization and depart-
ment. Pay attention to your employees, show them that you