Improving Morale in Difficult Times

Goodies, Games, Guns

and Gifts?

Desktop Education for Parks and Recreation

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Marie KnightDirector, Community ServicesCity of Orange

Please Welcome…

Let’s get started!

YES or NO?

Did you do your Pre-Webinar Assignment?

Pre-Webinar Assignment“Rank Your Motivators”

Motivators Your Rankings

Interesting work

Appreciation and recognition

Feeling "in on things"

Job security

Good wages

Promotion/growth

Good working conditions

Personal loyalty

Tactful discipline

Sympathetic help with problems

• In your chat box, please share which motivators seem to rank highest for your group.

Let’s Review--Pre-Webinar Assignment

How’s Your Morale?

How’s Your Employee’s Morale?

Take ONE minute to discuss and share in your chat box.

What would change it?

What is currently affecting morale?

Take ONE minute to discuss and share in your chat box.

A state of individual psychological well-being based upon a sense of confidence and usefulness and purpose.

How a team feels about itself and its abilities.

Morale:

Morale: Also known as esprit de corps, is the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others.

It is applicable in business and in any other organizational context, particularly in times of stress or controversy.

A work experience where employees feel respected, valued, and

appreciated

A work experience where employees feel they are players and not just

hired hands

A work experience where employees feel they get to make a

difference

What is Employee Morale?

Morale problems are experiential problems, they’re

a result of a negative or dissatisfying work experience.

The Cause of Poor Morale

So……how do you improve it?

Because morale is a problem of an unsatisfying work

experience,

the answer is in changing the work experience.

More specifically…Create a work

experience that itself is rewarding.

(Not always fun, but rewarding.)

What are some ways you can change the experience?

Take ONE minute to discuss and share in your chat box.

How?Focus on simple day

to day encounters.

Build the Emotional Bank Account

NOTMorale is NOT improved or damaged

one interaction at a time.

Morale is NOT improved by one grand gesture or

a premium parking space.

Remember the

Goodies, Gimmicks, and Galas

Are The Frosting, Not The

Cake.

The Material “solutions” will not solve the Experiential

problems

•They do have a place in the overall approach.

•They should be part of a larger effort.

•They don’t take the place of the hard work that needs to be done.

The 3 G’s

Good morale does not require people to be happy

WHAT?!!!!Many of the best examples of

high morale come from situations of great

unhappiness and stress like in a war.

NEWS FLASH!

Thus, while it may be impossible to make people feel

happy during these difficult times…

That is not your job. Your Job is to create the right

environment and to build your team’s

focus and dedication.

Let’s Take a Look at Your Make and Take Handout

What are the keys to good morale?

The team’s knows its work contributes to making others’ lives better.

• How can you ensure your team knows this?

The team knows their ideas matter.

• How do you make sure they know this?

The team is provided opportunities for growth and

trust.• How do you accomplish this?

Keys to good morale:

Accentuate the Positive

Highlight the Good – Coach to improve the bad

Establish a culture of cheers for your peers

Dig deep and Dig often

Catch them doing something right!

• MBWA• Make a Big Woopie out of the small

things• Value their contributions

Set clear expectations for success!

• Starts on the first day – but never too late

• Show them the cover of the puzzle box

• Make sure the expectations are:Achievable, Mission Based, Measurable

Praise Publicly, Criticize Privately

• Have a clearly defined formal recognition program.

• Surprise, Surprise, Surprise.• Invest in your top 20%

#1 KEY TO GOOD MORALE

TALK!

So...

How do

you think YOU can improve

morale?

Questions?

Get in touch with Marie…

Marie Knight, DirectorCity of Orange

Community Servicesmknight@cityoforange.org

714-744-7277