Why Employees Develop Low Morale and Are Managers To Blame?

[lav]

Posted by EtherLotus
if i were working for you, id ask for two things, money & respect. none of that other **** matters.

If it were that simple I wouldnt need to go to work at all.

Posted by EtherLotus
this is what seperates me from everybody else on this board. and thus, is why ill be one of the most successful people.

you dropped your opinion now i'll drop mine. The only thing that seperates you from the rest of us is obviously lack of experience.

[Corey Bryant]

While money does matter - companies sometimes cannot afford to pay more. Sometimes that hurts the company because they cannot get a better employee.

When I was managing, about once a month I would treat everyone to lunch since we all worked the weekends. This usually seemed to boost morale much better than anything else. A lot of times, it is the small things that really count

[Aaron Hats]

Originally Posted by EtherLotus

I like how certain people think their opinions is everybodys opinion. if i were working for you, id ask for two things, money & respect. none of that other **** matters. i dont care to get to know you.. i dont care to know anything about you. this is what seperates me from everybody else on this board. and thus, is why ill be one of the most successful people.

Money and respect may be what works for you and that's ok. You're the exception, not the rule. I managed a group of 24 that worked 24 hours a day 365 days a year and seldom was money what made them happy. It was being there to listen to their problems, giving them time off (without deducting it from their earned time), paying for lunch, providing good training and a good work environment.

Aaron

[JWDesignCenter]

Wow this got a little heated didn't it? lol.

I've been an employee and an employer. And I can honestly say that for me, money wasn't my number one factor of staying in a company or taking a job or whatever. Benefits are important, title was always important to me when I was younger (i'm an aries, had a big ego lol), but the knowledge that I had somewhere to grow was probably one of the biggest factors for me when I was an employee. I wouldn't accept a job unless I felt there was some growth factor or some path for me to follow.

When I was a manager, we'd provide incentives, paid days off, we'd have catered lunches and office parties (along with the benefits packages and such). But I also took the employees who wanted to under my wing and helped them make goals and plans for growth. Heck , I trained a few employees to take over my job (knowing that by the time they got there, i'd have moved up myself).
It's not always about money (money is a factor yes, but not everything)

[eborg9]

Money is definitely not everything. But I will put up with more, if the money is good, and less if it is not.

Dont you go the extra mile for a dificult or idiotic client if he is "High Dollar" or worth future business?

However most of my "employee" experience is Bartending and Chauffering, so taking home a few hundred a night is a big factor in putting up with crap.
If it werent for that I probably would have never worked for any of my employers. Most of them have the attitude that since you make good money in cash, you should consider yourself lucky to be here.
That dont fly with me when the money train stops. See ya!
I used to be very impatient. I never liked working for people anyway.

[Beach Bum]

The front page of Yahoo had an good article on 1/2/07 entitled:

Can your boss be trusted?
A new study says many of us work for shady managers.

It is a worthwhile read. Here is a brief quote from the article. It is the results of the study for Fall 2007.

The results of the study are scheduled for publication in the Fall 2007 issue of The Leadership Quarterly, a journal read by consultants, managers and executives.

The findings include:

• 39 percent of workers said their supervisor failed to keep promises.

• 37 percent said their supervisor failed to give credit when due.

• 31 percent said their supervisor gave them the "silent treatment" in the past year.

• 27 percent said their supervisor made negative comments about them to other employees or managers.

• 24 percent said their supervisor invaded their privacy.

• 23 percent said their supervisor blamed others to cover up mistakes or to minimize embarrassment.

[Blacktalon]

Seeing the results of that study does not surprise me in the least. There is a lot of negligence in management when it comes to the care of their employees. Many managers feel that because they are manager, they are unquestionable and therefore should not take part in any ambition to further progress the lives of their "subordinates".

The HR function is often omitted as it is commonly seen as a liability rather than an asset, even though it is the key strategic partner of any sound business strategy. When the two are aligned properly, then the company can overcome any market conditions, economic downturn and external threats from competition.

One issue which is rather disturbing is the fact that while HR is supposed to be a neutral entity within the organization, more than often is riding the coattails of management and immediately siding with them, rather than taking a more arbitrary stance. The energy is not balanced and causes a massive rift among the rank & file, which has dangerous implications if not properly addressed.

Many managers fail to recognize the fact that it is the employees who are the most important to the business, not the manager. A manager manages. Employees are the ones who make the engine move, who constantly give it the oil and grease the axles and wheels need to turn to generate the products and services that the passengers (clients and customers) require in order to function in real life. A well-kept engine remains loyal and functions at its highest point possible. An engine left to neglect eventually rusts, the oil becomes tainted, and eventually the engine seizes. Then the manager is left with nothing but rust, upset customers and a lot of liability. An engine cannot function without its vital parts. Had the conductors (managers) taken proper care, administered services and support to the parts that needed it, and replaced others that were starting to breakdown, then the engine would still be going strong.

Employees are just as important as customers. They make the engine run. Without employees, then ambitions become unfulfilled visions.

Money is not the key factor, although it does play a big part in the retention of employees. In my ventures of working for people, I've found that it's often your colleagues and other intangible benefits which keep people around. While money may be a factor, even if you have a crappy job yet the people you work with are decent and make the day enjoyable for you, then more than likely they are one of the key factors keeping you there.

If colleagues or, more specifically, managers, are causing the environment to become less enjoyable or insatiable, even if you make a decent dollar, you're more than likely going to find another suitable place to work, even if it means taking a slight pay cut.

It's happened with me, and I'm sure it's happened with everyone here at some point. Has the lure of the paycheque kept me at a position which I loathed more than anything? Absolutely. But when the other supporting factors of job fulfillment become tainted, the desire to perform fully stagnates, as well as the desire to find greener pastures.

A fully-functional and strategically-aligned Human Resources vision would find ways to prevent any of the above from happening in the first place. In order for that to happen, though, managers and executives alike have to open their eyes and realize that the success of an organization lies in the hands of the people itself.

Blacktalon

[EtherLotus]

Originally Posted by Aaron Hats

Money and respect may be what works for you and that's ok. You're the exception, not the rule. I managed a group of 24 that worked 24 hours a day 365 days a year and seldom was money what made them happy. It was being there to listen to their problems, giving them time off (without deducting it from their earned time), paying for lunch, providing good training and a good work environment.

Aaron

yawn...................

[Aaron Hats]

Originally Posted by EtherLotus

yawn...................

You've just spoken volumes about yourself. Thank you.

[EtherLotus]

Yup. Now you know i stand alone and have my own opinion. Good day babe.