The 7 Biggest Killers of Morale in the Workplace

Offices can be pretty awful environments, packed with anxiety, politics, pettiness and negative energy. If you’re like me, you’ve worked jobs which have made you want to slit your wrists. Based on my experience both working in negative office environments and creating positive team building activities in NYC and elsewhere, below are the 7 biggest culprits I’ve identified which suck the morale out of employees in the workplace.

Tell me if any of these sound familiar:

1) The Oppressive Boss – Authoritarian, egomaniacal and/or insecure, the person in charge of the team, department or company sets the tone for the “feel” of the office, and leads by example. When the day-to-day grind of work is defined by the boss’s unreasonable deadlines, unpredictable tirades and unrealistic expectations, morale plummets- often right alongside with performance.

2) The Stick Outweighs the Carrot – As we’ve seen recently, during times of economic crisis the threat of losing one’s job quickly vanquishes any frustration over not being properly rewarded for good work. Unfortunately, this still results in workers who feel overworked and underappreciated.

3) Cutthroat Competition – Especially in highly competitive, zero-sum professions like law and banking where one’s win is another’s loss, the day-to-day struggle for victory can be especially draining, as well as demoralizing. Teamwork, communication and trust all suffer as a result, which ultimately impacts group performance and overall results.

4) Employee Isolation – I once worked a job at a large firm where everybody- EVERYBODY, including junior staff – had their very own private offices, complete with a closing door which we all took advantage of. Sounds pretty awesome, right? The problem was, it was still a team-centered work environment; you could hear a pin drop, because nobody talked to each other! All communication was done via email, even those sitting 4 feet from each other. Cushy, yes- however, everyone was sad because you could literally go an entire day without seeing or speaking to another human being. Not cool.

5) Unchallenging Tasks – Most people who enter the workforce with a college degree and tons of motivation are shocked by the sheer mendacity of entry level jobs. Regrettably, for many this sort of unchallenging work doesn’t improve for a very long time, if at all – leaving smart people feeling completely devoid of any intellectual stimulation or reward in their work.

6) Lack of Office Pride – Are all staff members really behind the mission of the organization? Do they believe in the product, service or cause? This can be challenging; most people work because they need a job, not because they feel strongly about the end result or consumer impact. How many Bounty employees do you think actually bound into work every day, feeling ecstatic about paper towels?

7) Employees Feeling Unvalued – Does everyone in your team, department or company know exactly how their contributions ultimately benefit the organization as a whole? In many larger companies, it’s easy for employees – especially lower-level staff – to feel that they are simply a cog in a wheel, that their hard work isn’t really benefiting anything or anyone, if it’s even being noticed at all. Few things kill the spirit of intelligent professionals faster than the impression that their work is futile.

Take a look at your own office, and see if any of the above is sucking the motivation and work potential out of your employees. While there is no “magic bullet” for curing company morale issues, what steps might be taken once an office morale killer has been indentified? Please share your thoughts/suggestions below!