Low employee morale is a drag on any business, but for a recruiting center, it can be especially detrimental. Here are 9 ways to turn things around.
The recruiting business is all about encouraging people and sharing with them how much they will enjoy a new job. However, it’s hard to be convincing when your team is plagued with low employee morale.
The snowball rolls quickly, too. Low employee morale leads to fewer recruiting wins, which leads to lower numbers, often leading to morale problems.
While it can be difficult to put exact numbers on morale problems for any one business, Gallup (most well-known for polling) states that “employees who are not engaged or who are actively disengaged cost the world $8.8 trillion in lost productivity.”
Clearly, disengagement is a problem that can have a big impact on your business. So, how do you fix it? It’s not always as challenging as it might seem. First, though, let’s look at the business benefits of high employee engagement.
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What does your business gain from engaged employees?
When you see businesses with fantastic customer ratings, that’s largely due to engaged employees. Whether it’s a restaurant or a Fortune 500 company, businesses with engaged employees create happier customers. Here are some numbers from that same Gallup study mentioned above.
Businesses with highly engaged employees benefit from:
- 23% higher profitability
- 18% higher productivity
- Up to 43% lower employee turnover
- 10% higher customer loyalty
That all comes from “lower-level” employees. In other words, it’s not the CEO, COO, or regional supervisors creating these numbers. That said, these executive and higher-level people are responsible for creating the conditions that make this possible.
High employee engagement and morale are the result of a respectful, trusting environment where employees feel that their work is valued and appreciated. In other words, you don’t fix low employee morale by imposing restrictive or punitive working conditions.
9 Ideas that will help turn around low employee morale
The best way to turn low employee morale around is to determine the root cause of the problem. Are employees working a lot of overtime? Do they get reasonable breaks during shifts? Is the environment cooperative or is it overly competitive? Are schedules steady or do people have different schedules every week? Do employees feel like they are working under a microscope?
There are plenty of potential reasons for low employee morale. Luckily, there are also plenty of ways to turn things around. Even if you don’t yet know the exact reasons for morale issues, you can still get good mileage out of the following fixes.
1. Be intentional. You can’t just hope that low employee morale will turn around. Morale, positive or negative, is a result of the working environment. Therefore, the first step is to get executives, management, and supervisors on board. You need a plan – or at least a guiding principle.
2. Focus on consistency. Most people appreciate consistency. If your schedule is inconsistent, it’s going to have a negative impact on your team. Consistent schedules allow people to plan their lives outside of work, and help them feel more engaged on the job.
3. Don’t permit toxic behavior. A toxic working environment is a guaranteed path to low employee morale. There’s no way to list every possible toxic trait, but some of the things you may notice are people being excluded, gossiping, or bullying (this includes “joking around” and any other behaviors that may be unwelcome). This goes for employees and management, alike.
4. Set the tone. It’s management’s responsibility to set the tone for the work environment. In this case, make sure it’s a positive tone. How? Say hello. Ask how people are doing (and really listen to the answers). Celebrate wins, no matter how small.
5. Provide support. Successful recruiting requires confidence. And confidence comes from knowing your product or service, and having the means to carry out your duties. Make sure everyone has the tools they need to do their job well. Ensure they are trained and feel comfortable with the details of the jobs they are recruiting for.
6. Provide growth opportunities. Not everyone will want to grow with your company, but for those who do, make sure there is room for that to happen.
7. Ensure breaks. Your team needs to rest. Make sure they take their breaks during shifts, as well as any time off they may accumulate. Breaks give us a chance to refresh and recharge.
8. Encourage feedback. Your team is on the phone lines every day having conversations with prospects. In many organizations, however, it’s the people most removed from these conversations who are making decisions and dictating how things function. Leadership is important, of course, but make sure there’s a balance. Give employees a say in how things run. At the very least, listen to their feedback and make changes that make sense.
9. Focus on the right metrics. In a business that relies heavily on making calls, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the idea of quantity. But quantity does not equal quality. More successful calls may require more time. There are a variety of metrics to explore, but one that can be especially helpful is conversion rate. What percentage of calls result in new hires or job interviews?
Low morale is a drain on a business, and it can take time and work to turn things around. However, the benefits are well worth the effort.
Find more success with Call Logic. From call notes to built-in compliance, we’ve got you covered in every aspect of your recruiting business. Call for your free consultation today to learn more!