Our CMS  service provider, Gerry Brokaw of the Commonwealth Centers for High Performance Organizations, recently responded to a question on the Knowledge Network about strategies to improve employee morale in the workplace.  I thought Gerry's response was excellent and am sharing it with you. . .

"If I may be so bold...I'd suggest that morale is not a product of 'band-aid' events or manipulative tactics to get people's commitment, but rather, the product of a long-term adult-adult, respectful and collaborative relationship.  If we want high morale, we need to include the workforce in day-to-day decisions that affect their work and their lives, including who they work with.  We need to keep them informed about what is going on.  We need to value their ideas and implement them.  We need to be clear about expectations and provide the means so that they can evaluate their own performance on a nearly daily basis, not a couple of times a year, when their "superiors" tell them how they are doing -- much better if they can figure it out for themselves.  They need to be involved in the development of their (units' and organizations') vision and how the work they do fits in and moves everyone forward.

For more information about the problem with "Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise and Other Bribes" see Alfie Kohn's 1993 book "Punished by Rewards"

As employee morale is an important topic for all managers, make sure you share your ideas on question posed on the Knowledge Network as we all work together to find creative solutions to organizational/employee performance today!