Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Testing Todd: Positivity Boosts Employee Morale

It’s just another day at work until you get that call or text from your manager or supervisor: “Hey, can you come to my office?” I can already guess your first thought: “Uh-oh, what did I do wrong?” It’s unfortunate that this is the standard reaction in today’s workplace.

As managers and supervisors, the fault rests with us. Something has gone wrong, and we go into reactionary mode. In an instant the sweep is on to find out “who done it.” Routinely, it is a blame game; conducting a root-cause analysis to find the primary cause is just an afterthought. But it’s too late; employees are already in defense mode and more unlikely to cooperate or play an active role in finding the solution. “Take the hit and move on,” managers say. Productivity may suffer, and employee morale degrades or drops another notch.

How many of you are nodding your head in the affirmative right now? “Firefighting” is a skill most of us have and we’re quite good at it. Unfortunately, firefighting always results in some damage. Managers and supervisors are not perfect, but we must realize that how our employees perceive us can affect their morale.

We need to take a strong, proactive role when working with our employees to solve issues. Yes, we all make mistakes, but we also do great things. Why are we so quick to point out the negative? Focusing on one wrong move or mistake among 50 successful tasks doesn’t make sense, does it? Think about how it feels when customers complain about quality. You may provide a perfect, on-time product 99.9% of the time, only to be grilled about that 0.1% miss. We are all guilty of playing the blame game, and no one volunteers to be the one blamed.

Building morale is a process, just like any other process. To be successful, it must be consistent. The first building block to boosting morale is to be a mentor. If there is a problem, first review the situation. Don’t jump to conclusions. Before looking for someone to blame, look for possible systemic problems. Many times, it is not the fault of an employee at all, so try to eliminate all the possibilities before blaming anyone. If an employee is at fault, it may be an anomaly, so it’s always better to start with a mentoring attitude rather than a disciplinary tone.

When was the last time you met with an employee to say, “Great job”? (Crickets… ) That silence, my friends, is a huge morale killer. Employees want to feel involved and empowered during their tenure. Negative reinforcement never works. If we already know how to fight fires and take time to blame someone, we can make time for positive reinforcement as well.

Many times, when we fail, it is due to a lack of information or misunderstanding the results. Look differently at FAIL: “first attempt in ­learning.” Rather than jump to conclusions, we need to view it as a mentoring opportunity. Of course, there may be times when it is obvious that an employee deliberately did something wrong or made a mistake. However, we should not immediately jump to that conclusion. Remember, they are part of the team. Make them feel like it.

Another obstacle is when the workplace atmosphere is less than optimal, and employees seem afraid of management. Again, this is our fault. If they just see and experience us dealing out disciplinary actions or negative reinforcement, can you blame them? If all they see is negative, fear ensues. You may be the greatest person in the world, but if employees don’t perceive you that way, then FEAR—“false evidence appearing real”—gets the better of them.

We need to correct this and make the workplace positive for all employees. Leadership, mentorship, understanding, and positive reinforcement play a significant role in nurturing employee morale. When one-offs or anomalies occur, remember how FAIL and FEAR play a significant role in the scenario. Try to find the positive while navigating the negative. Employees should never fear their supervisors or managers. If they do, you are doing something wrong. Teamwork is so important today, so be that kind of a player.

This column originally appeared in the May 2023 issue of PCB007 Magazine.