For many reasons, a tough economy can be as stressful on your remaining employees as it is on those who have been laid off:  survivors guilt, the perception that there is more work for fewer people even if there isn't, a general state of worry about the future of the business. Or maybe someone in their family was laid off.  Some people struggle because they know that changes are coming in your organization that will impact their jobs or their friends, or both. 

There are many reasons that people can be grumpy at work.  Worst case, they are not just grumpy but completely unproductive. 

So, who is responsible for employee morale?

Some people believe that Human Resources is responsible for morale.  Some think that morale is individual and no one can control it. We all like to think it is someone else's job, anyone but us. 

The real answer is everyone.  Everyone is responsible for their own morale, and responsible for not ruining the morale of those around them.  But let's be honest, if someone is struggling with morale, they probably either feel powerless to change it, or don't care enough to do anything about it.

If you manage people, you are probably the first thing people think of when they think about their job.

Typically, our manager = The Company.  Many experts have said that when someone quits their job, they are quitting their boss.  So if you are managing people, you may find yourself in the position of trying to manage morale too.  What to do?

The most important thing is communication so don't pretend everything is fine if it isn't. If you did layoffs, talk about it.  Don't promise there won't be more layoffs but tell them whatever you know for sure. If someone is absent, make sure you talk to them as soon as they come back to work.

The good news is that there is lots of information out there that can help you with employe morale. 

Here is a link to an article with some ideas for building morale after layoffs:

http://blogs.bnet.com/teamwork/?p=601&tag=nl.e713 

Here is a link to the Employee Engagement Network:

http://employeeengagement.ning.com/groups 

And this is a link to a document produced by some members of the Employee Engagement Network.  Take a look at this free book for some ideas:

http://www.davidzinger.com/wp-content/uploads/abcs-employee-engagement-keys.pdf

In my experience, the biggest impact to employee morale comes when the employees feel empowered to make some changes.  You can find out what might help them by asking them.  If you have some extra room you could set up a quiet room where they can go when they feel really frustrated, or maybe let them put together a play/creative room.  The typical "break room" does not have to look typical. Give it some thought.

I have a number of programs that I can use to kick off an employee morale program.  Contact me today for a consultation.  The sooner we get started, the better for everyone. info@hrprincipal.com