Dealing with low morale among employees

Robinah Nakayiza, 32, has worked with a telecom company as a customer care personnel for four years now. Since she joined the company, she has never been promoted nor acknowledged for her hard work.

“Nothing is more frustrating than seeking acknowledgement and not getting it. You work hard but no one notices,” Nakayiza says.

She says she wants to quit but hasn’t yet found another job.

How to deal with low morale

Connect

According to Tom Immot, the human resource manager at Sadolin Paints, employees need to know that there is a connection between themselves and management.

They need to know that they share a common purpose and goal.

“They need to know that management knows who they are what is going on with their job and that management is there to help them when needed,” he says.

Appreciate their efforts

 Immot says morale is emotional, so all employees need is appreciation for a job well done.

“The best motivator is to make people feel that they are valuable and worthy members of the team,” he notes.

“Never miss an opportunity to acknowledge someone for good work. Even a simple thank you when an employee completes a task will help them see their work is appreciated,” he adds.

He adds that awards and public recognition are excellent ways of appreciating employees. Recognition from management and peers eventually leads to improved performance.

Delegate

Joseph Musaalo, a counsellor at Uganda Christian University, says managers should delegate.

“See if there is a task you can delegate to one of your employees and offer them the training necessary to do the task well. Explain to them how important the task is and that due to their performance, you have confidence in their ability to do it,” he says

Company policies

Musaalo says sometimes low morale can be a sign of a dysfunctional system. If a company has policies that are too strict that people live in constant fear of losing their jobs, then you need to change those policies.