On top of that, a team of employees who are unhappy in their jobs can result in a bleak picture for future recruitment and retention efforts.

Savvy leaders understand the consequences of poor workplace morale. Everything from low performance levels and absenteeism to employee burnout and defection can be the outcome from a poor work environment.

For example, as Indeed notes, “People tasked with repetitive work often lose interest in their duties.” By contrast, stimulating work “helps employees grow their skills and helps them feel accomplished.” If you discern a lack of engagement on the part of your employees, “consider adding a few projects that provide opportunities for learning and creativity.”

Today, we are keenly focused on finding ways to improve the morale of our greatly appreciated workforce. We are looking for new ways to identify difficulties and challenges faced by our team in an attempt to increase employee satisfaction. Whether that be the working conditions in the sawmill or the need for improved hardwood lumber delivery intervals for our traders, we are ramping up our efforts to identify and correct situations that lower employee morale.

Here are a few specific actions steps we are experiencing positive results with that might be relevant for you as well.

Increase your efforts to improve employee communication. An informed and knowledgeable workforce tends to be more productive and satisfied at work. There is always more room to improve communications and finding what it is best for your organization is key!

Ensure your managers are effectively coaching their teams. Your managers might benefit from some training themselves, particularly in areas of active listening and in a commitment to improving morale overall.

By teaching managers “to seek out the unique talents of their employees,” you “foster an environment that builds on those attributes, which also helps businesses remain agile during challenging times,” notes 15five. The best managers “don’t push for high performance, they value helping employees discover their natural talents and seek out opportunities to utilize those strengths.”

Provide employee cross-training opportunities. Remember, burnout often happens when employees must complete the same tasks day after day. Look for opportunities to generate more productivity by cross-training employees to expand their skills and responsibilities. We have had much recent success with this cross training people on things like lumber buying and trucking, or selling hardwoods and customer service. Just be sure to prepare and equip your employees properly for these new challenges, so they can hit the ground running.

Make employee development a key part of your culture. People respond favorably when they have the chance to broaden their skillsets and find new ways of contributing to the organization. By investing in programs focused on training and development, you offer a chance for employees to learn more and take a more active part in achieving company goals.

Businesses depend on the people they hire to make success possible. It’s therefore imperative that business leaders pay close attention to the state of morale within the workplace. By leveraging resources and providing opportunities for growth, you will increase the likelihood that your team members will show up for work every day, charged-up and ready for the challenges that lie ahead.

What other action steps have worked for you? Let us know. We welcome the opportunity to learn from you!

Tony Cimorelli
Baillie Lumber
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