Social services organizations face a long list of challenges when it comes to keeping their employees motivated and engaged. From dealing with demanding clients to long hours, it’s easy for morale to dip. That’s why it’s so important for social service organizations to create a positive work environment that supports employees and keeps motivation and enthusiasm high.
Working in the social services industry can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also be extremely challenging. Folks in this field often struggle to maintain strong mental and emotional resilience while also providing caring support to those who need it most.
Burnout is a real issue, so it is especially important for leaders in our industry to take steps to ensure their teams stay passionate, keep a positive outlook, and ultimately find satisfaction and joy in their work.
Here are eight strategies I use to improve workplace morale and help ensure that my teams remain motivated, productive, and engaged.
1. Training
At one time or another, most supervisors have seen their staff get overwhelmed. Sometimes this happens because a staff member is unsure what to do or how to respond when things go wrong. Untrained or undertrained employees get overwhelmed more easily. And that can really drive morale down.
Conversely, dynamic, entertaining and interactive job training allows the employee time to absorb the information more deeply so it becomes intuitive. When employees are trained thoroughly, they are eager to enter the workplace, ready to take on new challenges. There is a rhythm to good training: present the fact or policy, tell a story to drive the need for the policy or fact home (good to pair with something that triggers an emotional response), add a bit of humor, then enlist the attendees in a reframe or practice skill.
Well-trained, confident workers have what they need to immediately contribute, quickly integrate into the workforce, and be effective. Ensuring new employees are helpful and knowledgeable is one of the best ways to support positive workplace morale. Colleagues welcome well-trained additions to the team because they know they can start contributing immediately.
On the other hand, agencies with poor training programs throw new hires into high-stress situations right away. Seasoned staff know that newcomers are set up to fail. And when co-workers expect the new person to fail, it increases the likelihood of mistakes. That’s why insufficient training lowers morale. Experienced employees must work harder to fix the newcomers’ errors, making the new person feel incompetent and a burden to the existing staff.
2. Lead by Example
Leaders are the most influential voices in any organization. Their actions can have a powerful impact on the attitudes and behaviors of every employee. That’s why leaders must embody the actions and attitudes they expect from their staff.
Like it or not, your employees watch your examples to learn the corporate culture, find acceptable ways to deal with conflicts, treat co-workers, interact with clients, handle failure, and determine job satisfaction.
Your actions and words will be echoed by your employees. If you spot destructive or demoralizing behavior, check yourself to make sure it does not reflect your own management style. Be sure not to give a pass to demoralizing behavior you see – if you don’t make an effort to address it, you send a message to your team about your values. You must be the model of good behavior, and your staff will follow.
3. Don’t Hide Your Mistakes
Mistakes are the worse. We think they make us look weak. But the truth is that no one is perfect, and every single person makes mistakes. In some companies, leaders do everything they can to cover up mistakes, blame it on someone else, or pretend it never happened. And I never want to work at those places.
If leadership acts human, it gives the staff permission to be human. Morale is much higher in places that don’t demand perfection at any cost. In our workplace, we know that mistakes happen and work hard to correct them. No matter the number of employees you have, you are running a business with humans. Humans have lives outside of work and that life impacts work performance. A personal health issue one is facing, the dissolution of a marriage, sick child, death of a parent, on and on – we don’t know what challenges our employees face outside of work, but we can be sure the influence is present.
As the leader openly admitting missteps, you are telling your team that accidents aren’t the end of the world. Sharing executive fumbles also helps squash the “gotcha” culture prevalent in any industry. Admitting blunders and fixing them shows your team what to do when mistakes happen. They’ll know they are expected to own errors and fix them. And morale is always higher when employees understand that one slip-up will not brand them for life. In my perspective, any mistake is an opportunity to teach others how not to replicate that same error. I chalk it up to more good stories to add to a training session.
4. Smile Early and Often
Smiles are contagious in the best way. I take my job very, very seriously, but that doesn’t mean I don’t try to have fun at my job. I laugh every day. And so does my co-founder and all of my leadership team.
We smile a lot at CIS. Our DSPs smile, and we want to see our clients smile. In fact, smiles are a core part of our corporate culture. However, happiness and joy don’t just happen, so we start by creating confidence and trust.
I know there are absolutely days when smiling and happiness are impossible, but those are exceptions, not the rule. Shoot for 90% happiness, and your workplace morale will skyrocket.
If you happen to work in the healthcare field you are likely still wearing a mask most of the day. Even though your actual smile cannot be seen, your smile emanates from your eyes and the energy of a smile through the rest of your body. So, keep smiling – even if your pearly whites cannot be seen.
5. Embrace Transparency
Transparency in staff performance, expectations, and business performance builds trust, helps people feel safe, and improves morale. Whether you tell them or not, many employees will know that regulations have changed, economies have shifted, and businesses must evolve.
Instead of keeping them guessing, share your business goals, challenges, and successes. Transparency not only reduces gossip and guessing but also flatters employees by letting them know you trust them with the whole picture.
6. Praise Generously
What is one of the first things we are taught as children? How to say, “Please and Thank you.” Some leaders are worried that if they praise too easily, employees will start to expect it. But those leaders are missing the point. Employees thrive in work environments where they feel appreciated and valued and receive praise for big and small wins, just like big and small mistakes are noted. When people do what’s expected of them, thank them. When they exceed expectations, praise them with a big wo-hoo! When they make a mistake and fix it, acknowledge their efforts, thank them, and give a congratulations.
People feel better about themselves and their jobs when they feel respected. So don’t hold back.
7. Be Vocal About Your Social Mission
I’m in social work for a reason, and I’ll bet you are too. I do this to make the earth better than when I got here, and I try to surround myself with people who want to do the same. That’s why I never hesitate to remind employees that we are doing soul-building work that requires much and gives much back. I want everyone in our company to embrace that!
Talking about the value of your social mission is one of the best ways to keep your staff motivated. Remind them of the good they do and the importance of their work.
8. Respect Time Out of the Office
We’ve all got smartphones that enable us to reach employees at any time of the day or night. But that doesn’t mean we should do it. Overworked employees soon become overwhelmed and burned out. That cycle can accelerate in social work because staff must put so much emotional energy into their work.
To keep morale high, create clear boundaries and don’t cross them. Encourage employees to unplug when they leave work. Avoid sending after-hour emails. Allow your team to get into a downtime routine and avoid changing schedules or disrupting that routine. Be as generous as you can with time off, and for goodness’ sake, don’t contact employees during their vacation. And if by accident, you do – apologize!
Good Morale is Good Business
Keeping morale high feels like a nice thing to do, but it’s also good for business. Agencies with good morale are more productive and more cooperative. They’re able to deal with crises more effectively. As a result, employee retention is higher, and turnover is lower. So, think about how you can increase morale in your workplace. It isn’t always easy, but it’s always rewarding.