15 Small things that will Kill Company Morale
As leaders, we always are trying our best to create momentum, good morale, team spirit, vision and an overall spirit of enthusiasm on our teams and in our offices.
Here are a few small things that have the potential to kill the company morale quickly:
1. bad tissue in the bathrooms- no one wants the equivalent of sandpaper at the office. invest in the good stuff.
2. charging for coffee- seriously. a bad decision all the way around. and while I’m at it, most companies should quit charging for snacks. Spend a couple hundred bucks to create a free snack bin.
3. standardized approach to your office or cube. let your team add some flare to their area. please.
4. a faulty copier- I think there is an international conspiracy to make all copiers bad.
5. Bad furniture- especially uncomfortable chairs. or desks that belong in a junkyard. And please get rid of the fake trees!!
6. technology issues- computer issues, incompetent IT people, and slow responses will cripple your team. Invest here or else.
7. public recognition that is incorrect. make sure you know who actually did a great job before handing out the kudos at the company picnic or staff meeting to the wrong person. this is a total demotivator.
8. a new policy every week. whether it is expense reports, insurance, office furniture, parking, kitchen etiquette, IT, pets, pranks, profits, spouses, travel, meals, hiring, firing, vacation, talking, sleeping, phones, dating, child care, meetings, conference rooms, dish policy, management, health care, reporting, new forms, recycling, etc., etc. etc. Change is good, but can quickly overwhelm the system. Constant change can be incredibly draining.
9. fun Police. there is one in every company, and their entire reason for living is to make you feel guilty for any kind of fun in the office. Punch them directly in the throat. Just kidding, sort of. And of course the IT/Tech guy who blocks every helpful internet download or interesting website is a real joy to have around.
10. too many meetings- if you are an executive or team leader, this is usually your fault, because you feel like you need to schedule meetings in order to seem busy. Stop it. When in doubt, don’t meet. Just execute. Don’t talk more about it. Just get it done. No one needs more meetings. No one.
11. unmet promises- i’m guilty of this one. I admit it. and it is a morale killer. Leaders- don’t throw out promises you can’t keep because you feel like the leadership moment demands it. Hold your tongue, or be prepared to deliver.
12. Unnecessary Dress codes. This one creates more water cooler talk than maybe anything else. If you can be casual, then just be casual.
13. Punishing all for the sake of one- another one I’ve been guilty of before. Instead of confronting one person regarding an issue, a whole new company policy or nasty email is created or sent geared towards the whole team but everyone on the team knows its meant for only one person.
14. Catering to the Brown nosers- this happens all the time. And usually everyone is aware of who the brown nosers are except the boss. This drives get it done type leaders crazy.
15. A reward that doesn’t fit the accomplishment. You just brought in a $100,000 client… here’s a $50 gift card to Applebees. Or you save the company $75,000 in expenses… thanks for the new mousepad and 2 free movie tickets.
Bonus: Sending an official “memo” as a reprimand. Really?
What would you add to the list?
Love the list, #10 especially. BTW, you should have made #1, #2. Think about it. : )
@Daniel: That was horrible lol.
I’m surprised the consistent pessimist isn’t in here. I’ve worked on way too many teams where there’s at least one person who’s only contribution is to say how something can’t be done.
I work at a state university, and this is a true story. In January I received an email from my supervisor with the subject, “Santa Claus is coming to town!” The email said that “We will be distributing small amounts of discretionary money that can be used by you to encourage, motivate, or recognize your staff for good work.”
A week later I found that for my staff of five I’d have……$50. I was able to take everyone to lunch at the on-campus dining hall on January 30 and had enough left to bring in donuts the next morning.
Because we’re not trusted with organizational credit cards, I had to spend my own money for this, then submit receipts for reimbursement.
I submitted the form requesting the $50 reimbursement and the appropriate receipts, then a week later I was asked to complete a separate form that’s required for food & beverage reimbursements.
Yesterday I got an email from our departmental administrator asking if she sent that food & beverage form back to me after our boss signed it, because she now can’t find it. She didn’t send it back to me, which means I now need to complete that form again and get my supervisor’s signature again.
This has turned into several hours of work for me chasing paperwork, and another few hours for the administrator, our boss, the campus mail staff delivering interoffice mail, etc.
All for $50.
Having executives that promote “friends” to high places and then cater to them over others. Completely kills morale especially when these friends are not qualified for the new positions.
+ Cutting budgets & laying off employees due to “lack of funds” while hiring additional executive leadership and purchasing high-tech equipment for said hires.
+ Over the top micromanagement.