Is Management Solely Responsible for Good Employee Morale?
Anthony Gangi
Nationally, the employee morale for our dedicated correctional staff is at an all-time low. Reasons may vary as to why. From low pay to bad management, from unfair changes to anti-law enforcement rhetoric, or some combination of all the above, many staff have found themselves in a never-ending cycle that centers the blame for their happiness, their value, on areas that they cannot control, where they have no individualized ownership, or accountability.
Even though there are some major influences that have the power to sway an individual into feelings of hopelessness and regret, there may also be a level of intentionality on staff that allows for these feelings to settle without any form of resistance. Sadly, it seems to be a developed partnership that drains staff of their individualized investment in creating and maintaining their own happiness, regardless of the circumstances.
If correctional staff constantly look outwards for happiness, without any intentional effort to shift their perspective, to shift how they currently view the world, they will never, and I mean never, escape the negativity that constantly surrounds them. Eventually, they will develop a mindset where hopelessness/sadness is justified (it becomes the norm) and momentary happiness needs an excuse (because staff may actually feel guilty). Either way, without an intentional effort to fight against the negativity, without any effort to shift perspective, correctional staff will find themselves in this never-ending cycle of minimizing the good and maximizing the bad.
To be honest, this mindset can also cause a level of paranoia in staff, as all good efforts to create positive change, or increase employee morale, get questioned. Be advised, when I say questioned, I don’t mean questions that are built from a state of curiosity. I mean questions built from a state of judgement. Instead of seeking an understanding behind how a good initiative can add value to the workplace, or the workers, all that surfaces is judgement on the intent, the motives behind the initiative. “Why is management doing this?” (Sadly, the staff that ask this question may already believe they have the answer.)
With that said, the above concern is a beast of an issue to resolve. It contains, within its roots, a hopeless acceptance, by staff, of the way things are and the way things will always be. This acceptance erodes the trust needed to create and maintain positive initiatives that involve a shared invested partnership between management and frontline. If that partnership doesn’t exist, if there is not a shared investment, and more importantly, no trust, the timing of the initiative will only create a further divide. Basically, without trust, without a shared investment, the good intent behind the initiative gets minimized and what surfaces are the negative feelings of a hopeless and, maybe even, as perceived by frontline staff, a selfish effort from management.
Since morale can be seen as a top-down issue, most staff may truly believe that good morale solely falls into management’s area of responsibility. And maybe that can be seen as the case when it comes to introducing methods to increase morale, but with that said, a partnership between management and frontline must exist in the acceptance of what is being introduced. Without acceptance, or trust, no initiative on employee morale can be introduced that will benefit the workplace.
Therefore, as management, before you embark on a journey to increase morale, your first effort should be to establish trust by building credibility. Remember, some higher-level titles have a negative reputation connected to them. In most cases, it could be a reputation built on the abuse of power, or authority. So, your effort, at first, must defeat the negative stigma connected to the position. Basically, staff have to define the position through the person wearing the title and not the other way around. And the best way to accomplish that endeavor is by walking around and getting to know your people and, in return, they get to know you. Listen as they state what they expect from you and then, with their needs in mind, state what you expect from them. It’s an intentional effort on both sides to build a strong and trusting relationship. And this takes time.
With that said, time is not always on our side and morale is definitely an issue that can become more complex as time passes. So, in your effort to build credibility, find those who have influence and invest time with them. Seek their partnership and investment in creating a workplace culture that showcases value and fulfillment. When it comes to employee morale, it is a team effort. And without the help or needed assistance of those who have a greater influence (peers, supervisors, etc.), the timing will never be right. You need to invest with those who have influence because, with their investment, with their sense of ownership into what is being created, it will minimize or negate any counter influence that surfaces through staff’s hopeless acceptance. Remember, it may be tough to get to everyone, but, through the diffusion of innovation, we can work with our influencers (a small but powerful amount) and utilize their reach, their influence, to garner the support needed for you to create positive momentum.
Funny thing when it comes to change, most people initially want to go big and get to the masses. But to be honest, that never works. You have no credibility. The moment you go big is the moment the resistance against you strengthens. In your efforts to announce to the masses your initiative, without having credibility or support, is the moment the naysayers, through their influence,
counter your movements. Therefore, you need strategy before wide scale implementation and that can only come through a small scale, yet powerful, group of dedicated and willing influencers. In essence, it creates a partnership that eliminates obstacles built through resistance and, on a better note, brings about investment from the frontline in the positive movement forward.
I am not naïve. None of what is said above happens overnight. It is truly a continuous effort to create and maintain good, positive momentum. Good employee morale is not a one stop destination, but rather a continuous journey in which ongoing efforts to eliminate the hopeless acceptance of the negative must be maintained. It’s a partnered investment where ideas are exchanged between frontline and management all within the context of valuing the work by showing appreciation to the workforce. It’s building positive momentum by creating small wins that exercise some level of control over staff’s happiness and, overall job fulfillment. It’s taking control of what we can control and changing our attitudes and efforts into what we cannot.
In closing, creating, and maintaining good morale is an ongoing, partnership effort between frontline and management. It’s all about building trust and then allowing for that trust to create good relations within the workplace. If trust is in play, efforts made towards positive change will be appreciated. Then the shift in perspective, as defined by trust, will not be based on false promises, but rather a commitment to the effort (transparency). And within that context, increasing positive employee morale may be seen by many as a top-down initiative, but it is truly reinforced through the efforts of the frontline to not just accept the initiative, but invest and take ownership of it.
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Anthony Gangi has a BA in psychology and is a twenty-year veteran in corrections. He currently works as an Associate Administrator for State Corrections. Anthony currently sits on the executive board of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Correctional Association. To date, Anthony Gangi has been invited to speak on CNN, MSNBC, CBS, Lifetime, ABC, Fox and NewsNation. He is also the author of “Inmate Manipulation Decoded”and “How to Succeed in Corrections.” For more information, he can be reached at gangianthony@yahoo.com.