If your team is experiencing low morale, know that it’s normal. There will be natural ebbs and flows of morale based on a whole lot of things that are outside your control as a boss. The leadership of your company may have just stopped early Friday dismissals, or your employee may have just realized that her current job is not aligned with her long term career goals. Your team may be short staffed forcing everyone to carry more weight, or merit based raises may not be permitted leaving employees who do outstanding jobs unsatisfied. Decisions handed down from leadership, individual staff members’ lives, industry shifts, and company policy are all factors that impact the morale of a team. However, you can’t control them. At most, you can be aware of the effects they have on your team, but you can’t take responsibility for them. Heck, some of them may even impact your morale, (which is a whole other thing).

However, there is 1 thing that you can do that will deeply impact your team’s morale. 

Ready?

Don’t be a jerk.

Although I want to unpack what I mean, it’s a pretty simple concept. 

Not being a jerk means being empathic when a staff member tells you she’s burned out. 

It means being flexible so everyone can take some time off during the summer. 

It means being transparent by explaining why you need everyone to carry an extra shift this week, instead of just commanding it. 

Not being a jerk means being candid, not cagey, with your team when they need to turn their attitude around. 

Finally, not being a jerk means that you check your privilege by being aware that your salary is higher than your employees’ and just because you get weekly massages to decompress, suggesting a weekly massage to an employee may be insulting because they don’t have the financial resources that you do.

The next time you have an opportunity to show empathy, to be transparent and candid, to demonstrate flexibility, and to check your privilege, do it. Then watch how the effects transform your team.

How do you manage morale ups and downs on your team? Share with us!