Struggling with Low Morale in the Workplace? You Might Have a Belonging Problem.

When morale is high, employees excel beyond their potential. Their work quality is great, they are incredibly productive, and their outlook is positive. Motivating your team can sometimes feel overwhelmingly challenging when employee morale is low.

A variety of feelings and emotions make up morale. Since this quality is inherent in each individual employee, it is often considered to be difficult to define and maintain. Attitudes and perceptions about jobs, workplace culture, colleagues, leadership, and the workplace are all included, and a positive attitude and desire to perform well are usually signs of positive employee morale. Morale is not explained solely by a single factor, but rather by a multitude of interconnected variables.

What does low morale in the workplace look like?

When teams and employees have low morale and are less engaged, they are often less productive, more likely to pull back their participation, and may display subpar performance. It usually occurs when they lack proper training, an understanding of expectations for their role, or a feeling of belonging within their team or organization. 

When employees do not feel valued by their managers or care about the projects they are assigned, low morale can hinder them from striving to do their best. Low morale can wreak havoc on employee satisfaction, engagement, and may even negatively influence other members of the team. This can be damaging to workplace culture, productivity, and professional and personal growth.

Combat low morale in the workplace by fostering belonging

Vityl surveyed 1,300 full time employees and 500 senior leaders regarding their workplace experiences. The leading study revealed that employees who lack a sense of belonging are 8x more likely to be dissatisfied with their job relative to those that feel they belong and 5.4x more likely to feel disengaged with their job. 

Dissatisfaction and disengagement are entirely descriptive of low morale. On the flip side, employees who feel they belong are 24.7x more likely to feel satisfied with their job and 8.8x more likely to feel “very engaged” at work.

Satisfaction and engagement are key drivers for productivity and growth. Fostering belonging creates a sense of comfort, which leads to connection and contribution over time.

How to foster belonging in the workplace

The efforts of organizations to foster belonging have historically centered on setting high standards of respect and fair treatment of all employees in a multicultural work environment. Although this remains fundamental, today’s leading companies are fostering greater connections between members of teams, driving a sense of contribution to the organization’s goals and mission, and nurturing employees’ feelings of acceptance by their colleagues.

It is a combination of three interrelated components that enable a sense of belonging in the workplace. The workplace should be a place where people feel comfortable showing up as their authentic selves and receiving fair and respectful treatment by coworkers. They should feel connected to those they work with and the teams in which they are involved. Lastly, they should feel recognized for their contributions. In order to foster belonging, it is imperative to help employees understand their strengths and how they contribute to their teams and organizations.

Are there ways to measure morale among employees?

At Vityl, we deliver an easy-to-use platform packed with pulse surveys, automated goals, and impactful nudges that enhance how employees build culture and leaders understand their teams. We believe in understanding employee sentiments, rallying around shared purpose, and delivering impactful resources to champion a positive and high-performing culture.

The first step in addressing low morale is understanding what’s causing it. With Vityl, leaders can keep their finger on the pulse without the heavy lifting and receive real-time data regarding employee engagement and belonging levels.

Belonging is the ultimate force multiplier for today’s teams and organizations. To learn more about Vityl and unlock the power of belonging, visit the Pricing page.