Why Morale Boosters Won't Solve Your Team Morale Issues

"Do you have any morale booster ideas?" This is the number one question I get asked by nonprofit leaders. I don't give morale booster ideas. There is much confusion when I say this aloud because when people think of workplace well-being, they think of morale boosters as a part of the package. I've also been a nonprofit leader short on time and resources looking for ways to help my team stay strong. I've read and tried many "20+ ways to boost your team morale" lists so I know firsthand that they're good but they're temporary. Most often the real question is "How do I keep my team members positive and satisfied while they serve the community?" The answer to this question is much more nuanced and won't be solved by a list of one-time activities.

The False Cause Fallacy of Morale Boosters

The idea of team morale boosters has been around for a long time and is rooted in the belief that happier employees are more productive and engaged. While there is no shortage of research on employee engagement and workplace culture, there surprisingly is not a lot of research specifically on the effectiveness of team morale boosters. The effectiveness of morale boosters depend on a variety of factors, including the specific needs and preferences of employees, the overall culture of the organization, and the leadership style of managers.

Somehow we have bought into the False Cause Fallacy which occurs when we wrongly assume that one thing must cause another because they usually come together. It is true that many companies that receive recognition for great work culture participate in team morale-boosting activities in various forms, from casual dress days and office parties to team-building exercises and employee recognition programs. While these activities can be found in workplaces where teams are more positive and productive, it doesn't mean that we should expect these practices to transform our workplaces into being more positive and productive. Morale-boosting activities are often byproducts of a positive culture, not the cause.

Understanding Employee Morale

Employee morale is a complex and multi-dimensional construct that can be influenced by a wide range of factors. While there is no single definition of employee morale, three key components are essential to its makeup.

1. Job satisfaction: This refers to how satisfied individual employees are with their job, including factors such as their workload, pay equity, benefits, work/life balance, and opportunities for advancement. Organizations that lack this component will often experience "retention ceilings" where the majority of their workers are employed for no more than 2 to 3 years.
2. Employee engagement: This refers to the degree to which individual employees and teams are emotionally invested in their work and share the organization's goals and values, including feeling valued and understanding how their effort contributes to organizational impact. Organizations that lack this component often struggle to keep their workers motivated and experience low-quality work that negatively impacts program outcomes.
3. Work environment: This refers to the physical and social environment in which employees work, including physical safety (appropriate training and equipment to minimize physical harm) and psychological safety (interpersonal relationships with colleagues and supervisors that minimize psychological harm). Organizations that lack this component experience higher levels of worker burnout and increased absenteeism.

Why Morale Boosters Aren't the Answer

So many good-hearted nonprofit leaders have gone through what I call the "morale boost coaster". They notice a dip in team engagement and search for morale-boosting activities to make everyone feel good only to experience another dip in morale a couple of months later and go back to searching for a fresh set of ideas. The cycle is maddening and can cause exhaustion and resentment. I've seen caring leaders that once had the desire to help their team stay motivated become bitterly disillusioned and begin to make statements like "My team must be lazy because they can't seem to motivate themselves." As nonprofit leaders, we need to go deeper to truly create sustainable, positive changes in our organizations.

Here are a few reasons why morale boosters aren't designed to address the three components of employee morale:

1. Morale boosters only address surface-level issues: Team morale boosters are often fun events or activities that can help employees feel happier and more connected to their coworkers. While these activities can provide a temporary boost in morale, they do not address underlying issues that may be causing disengagement or dissatisfaction among team members. Leaders need to dig deeper to identify and address the root causes of these issues if they want to create lasting change.
2. Engagement is about more than just happiness: While happy employees are important, engagement is about more than just morale. Engaged employees are those who are invested in their work, feel a sense of purpose and meaning, and are motivated to contribute to the organization's goals. To create a truly engaged workforce, leaders need to focus on building a culture that fosters these qualities, rather than just trying to make people feel good in the moment.
3. Sustainable change requires ongoing effort: Morale boosters can provide a temporary lift, but sustainable change requires ongoing effort and investment. Leaders need to be willing to make long-term commitments to improving their organization's culture, processes, and systems if they want to see lasting improvements in engagement.
4. One size does not fit all: What works as a morale booster for one team may not work for another. Leaders need to take the time to understand the unique needs and challenges of their team members and tailor their engagement efforts accordingly. This requires a deeper level of understanding and engagement with employees than simply planning a fun event or activity.

A More Stable Alternative

There's a more stable alternative for leaders looking to make a long-term impact. Here are a few strategies that address the three key components of employee morale and build a positive organizational culture.

Stabilizing Job Satisfaction

Strategy: Examine workloads for Impact & Equity

Leaders that review team workloads on a semi-annual basis are better positioned to minimize workplace stress and increase job satisfaction. The goal of workload examination is three-fold:

• To ensure that team member strengths are being utilized
• To ensure that each team member has the opportunity to contribute to meaningful, impactful work
• To ensure that the workload is divided fairly to avoid over-burdening specific team members or departments

Stabilizing Employee Engagement

Strategy: Break down Departmental Silos through Value Mapping

Many organizations have established values but they mean nothing if team members can not clearly point to how those values show up in everyday interactions. Value mapping is a process that unifies the organization by allowing team members to revise existing values and co-create shared standards of behavior needed to operate under the organization's mission. The process facilitates shared cross-departmental decision making and fosters a strong sense of investment in working together to accomplish a goal.

• Are organizational values interwoven with organizational processes?
• Are organizational values clearly exhibited in interactions between colleagues and supervisors?
• Are organizational values modeled by senior leaders?

Stabilizing Work Environment

Strategy: Establish an Equitable Feedback Loop

An equitable feedback loop is a system for collecting the feedback of team members when there is an organization change that will impact their work. The equitable feedback loop assists in faciltating honest conversations and fostering psychological safety by creating an environment where team members can bring thoughts, ideas, and even push back without the threat of consequence. It also helps leaders practice the skill of repurposing negativity and embracing productive conflict.

The above strategies can help leaders to address the underlying issues of team morale by building a healthy, sustainable culture.

Your turn: If you've left the "morale boost coaster", what strategies would you share fom your journey? Leave a comment, and let's learn from each other.