How to Maintain High Morale in a Recession

The best managed companies and organizations keep staff morale high during economic downturns by capturing hearts and minds. There are several core measures that can be taken or implemented to assist companies in achieving a motivational nirvana and uplifting spirits.

Communicating direction is so important and is always a good starting point. Provide clarity of strategy – use good communication to make sure your staff know where they’re going and give them the confidence that the leadership in the company are in place. Feedback on progress, efforts, and successes regarding goals and direction are also a crucial piece of the puzzle, otherwise you’re only working out half the equation.

Businesses need to instill trust and confidence in their most committed and best focused employees since these are the ones who will also provide and promote confidence for other employees. Address key concerns; communicate to each individual what’s expected of them, how they should behave, and what they need to achieve. Be sure to put staff in positions suited to their particular skills and ambitions. You will want to give them time and support to succeed for better results and higher productivity.

Act quickly, because inactivity creates a vacuum that can leave your staff worried and unfortunately free to draw their own (and often incorrect) conclusions. Keep investing in research and development if possible. Innovation is even more important in a major credit crunch than during other tough situations. Reward positive behavior – it’s important that when staff perform and are adding value to the organization, that this is recognized and communicated throughout the company. This will reinforce good practice and motivate other staff. Introduce a reward or motivation scheme, or recognize staff with individual awards. Online vendors supply single engraved items, awards and plaques for recognition or general promotional gifts for schemes or programs.