Boost morale by asking workers what's bugging them

The recent economic downturn brought down worker spirits, but bringing them back up does not have to be expensive. Paying attention to the little things and giving more recognition may make a big difference in helping employees improve performance and attitude.

"Employee engagement is not going to happen because of salaries," said Kristin Baird, RN, president of Baird Consulting in Fort Atkinson, Wis. "When it comes to employees being engaged and staying with a job, the compensation doesn't hit the top five. You have to really be able to listen to your people. If they don't have enough blood pressure cuffs or the other tools that they need, they are going to get really frustrated."

The first step to address staff morale is to ask employees how they feel about their jobs. Depending on the workplace, this assessment can be carried out through casual one-on-one meetings or larger, more formal focus groups, experts said. Online surveys, which can be set up free through various Web sites, also may be a way to get people to share anonymously what they would not be willing to share if their name were attached.

"It's important to ask, 'How is everything going today? Do you have what you need to do your job?' It's amazing how effective that is," Baird said.

The answers may be surprising and save a business from paying for "morale boosters" such as one-time parties that might seem insincere and fall flat.

"It's important to ask what employees are happy about and what they are not so happy about," said Debra Love, senior director of human resource services at Oasis Outsourcing, a professional employer organization in West Palm Beach, Fla. "Or you may end up paying for something that an employee doesn't even value."

For example, Baird said she once worked with a medical practice struggling with high staff turnover. When asked, employees revealed that the practice manager never gave compliments but was regularly and publicly pointing out people's flaws. Training was provided to this person and a recognition program instituted. Turnover started to slow.

"We unearthed all sorts of issues with the culture about how employees treated each other poorly," Baird said. "The administration was completely in the dark."

The situation also highlights the need of employees to feel that their work is appreciated. This can take the form of a few spoken words highlighting something an employee did well. But it can also take the form of less expensive perks such as an "employee of the month" parking space or a printed certificate. This is another time where it is important to find out what employees value.

"Ask your staff how they like to be recognized," Baird said. "Some are so low-key. Others want to stand on the rooftop. They like the recognition. And the recognition needs to be timely, sincere and specific."

Addressing morale is important, because grumpy, disengaged workers can alienate patients or just not give their all to the business, experts said.

"Your patients could literally walk out of the door because of the negative morale they feel in your office," Love said.

According to data released by the Conference Board Jan. 5, only 45.3% of those who were employed were satisfied with their jobs in 2009. This is the lowest number since 1987, when this survey began, with 61.1% saying were satisfied.

But another survey, released by CareerBuilder Nov. 17, 2009, found that 20% of health care employers rated morale as low. Approximately 38% of health care workers said they had difficulty staying motivated, and 23% did not feel loyal to their employers

Experts say these numbers are the way they are, in part, because the mantra of 2009 -- that workers should just be happy they have a job -- has worn thin.

"You cannot curry favor forever because the economy is not good," said Ron Seifert, a senior consultant with the Hay Group in Philadelphia.

Chances are that most morale problems will have a much longer history and can be very different from one practice to another.

For example, when Sherry Holmes, RN, director of children's services at Kentucky Children's Hospital in Lexington, set out to discover what was bothering nurses in the neonatal intensive care unit, she hoped to find a solution to improve morale that would fit into a tight budget. She knew more staffers were needed and that hiring would most likely happen in the near future, but she needed something to improve morale in the interim.

So she asked the NICU nurses what they needed.

The answer: It turned out they did not have a good, clean place to hang their coats. A new location for them to do so improved the mood.

"It was not too hard, but it was not something we would think about because we don't hang our coats there," Holmes said. "But now they know we care about them."