Many of my placements
are in challenged companies.
These are companies going through changes.
There are layoffs and restructurings
and other stressful events.
One company communicated nothing.
Employees would hear of layoffs
only when they tried to contact co-workers.
Managers were there one day,
gone the next.
They were shifted to groups
without explanation or warning.
There was constant unease and worry.
Employees relied on gossip
and the gossip was always the most dramatic alternative.
Work didn’t get done.
The caring level was low.
Star performers left.
Another company was in an even tighter spot.
They were heading to bankruptcy.
The employees knew the situation was dire
because their managers held weekly, sometimes daily, meetings.
Whenever there was a change,
managers would call their group together
for a quick huddle.
Employees weren’t told everything
but they were told a lot.
This surprisingly built more loyalty to the company,
not less.
A division knew they were being closed down
yet the night before,
they put in extra hours
to ensure customers weren’t inconvenienced.
Employee morale is not about external factors.
It is about management.