Morale refers to the overall emotional outlook people have toward their lives, work, or family at a particular time. It is about how happy and engaged they are in their lives and roles as parents, friends, partners and/or employees. Energy, dedication and enthusiasm come with high morale, while low morale often means a lack of motivation and disengagement.
Consequently, high morale in the workplace is critical and must be taken into consideration. It will directly impact the satisfaction of team members and, in turn, their engagement, productivity, as well as absenteeism and turnover.
Why Morale Matters in a Mental Health-Supportive Workplace
We often discuss wellbeing and mental health, but forget that morale also plays a significant role in influencing employees’ satisfaction. There is a strong connection between employee wellbeing, team morale, and organizational success that should not be ignored.
The Cost of Low Morale: What’s at Stake?
- Engagement. A 2024 study about nurses’ morale and level of engagement found a significant relationship between employee engagement and staff morale. And as we know, a lot stems from high engagement. “When employees are engaged, they are more productive at work. They are absent less and produce more. They build better customer relationships and close more sales.” states the latest GALLUP – State of the Global Workplace Report. Which brings us to the following item at stake.
- Productivity: Employees with high morale are more engaged, as we saw above, and that leads to better focus and fewer mistakes. In its latest report, Gallup estimates that if the world’s population were fully engaged, we could add approximately 9% to the global GDP, thereby increasing the global economy.
- Collaboration and Innovation: When morale is high, people have more energy and are more enthusiastic about sharing ideas or solving problems with others, often leading to more creative outcomes and innovation.
- Turnover and absenteeism: When morale is low, engagement drops, and people tend to disconnect, which can lead to increased levels of absenteeism, “quiet quitting,” or people leaving for good. Indeed, an empirical study published in 2024 in the International Journal of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Management demonstrated a substantial correlation between low morale and higher absenteeism, underscoring the importance of addressing morale to effectively tackle absenteeism.
- Health and Safety: When employees feel disengaged, they are less attentive, which can lead to more mistakes and accidents.
- Work-Life Balance and Wellbeing: Obviously, if there is low morale, it can be expected that the overall wellbeing of employees is negatively impacted, as these are related concepts.
Periods of low morale, whether for an individual or a group, can come and go, but there are ways to ensure they do not come too often or last for extended periods.
Actionable Tips to Boost Team Morale
Whether it is at work, at home or in between, as humans we all have basic needs that impact our overall morale:
- Need for relationships: While the relationships we form at work may not be as strong or deep as those outside of work, we still need connections with others. For the company, that means encouraging a collaborative environment with open communication and regular team-building activities.
- Need to stay healthy and active: In the workplace, this can mean a more ergonomic setup and encouraging breaks, as well as benefits or perks related to physical health.
- Need for purpose and engagement: At the office, employees thrive when their role has a clear meaning and when there is a defined goal or mission they are trusted and empowered to do.
- Need for Joy and laughter: At work, that can mean allowing for time to relax together in less formal settings to nurture camaraderie.
- Need for recognition: Good managers will know how to celebrate both small and big wins and milestones, acknowledge the work of the group and the individual, and offer career growth opportunities. Things as simple as thank-you notes or public “shout-outs” between employees and management can make a big difference.
- Need for balance and self-care: At the company level, that means being attentive to work-life balance and actively supporting employees’ wellbeing and mental health. Acknowledging individuals’ life events and losses, for example, is a significant way to help your employees’ morale and mental health.
Morale is not just about employees being happy; it’s also about their overall wellbeing. It is connected to their wellbeing, mental health and the company’s performance, retention, safety and innovation.
Encouraging HR and managers to be proactive in boosting team morale through simple and seemingly small (but impactful) actions will contribute to creating a supportive, resilient, and high-performing workplace.
Morgane Oléron
