Morale: Easy to Understand, Hard to Measure!

Morale is a psychological principle that refers to an individual's emotional and psychological well-being in relation to their work. It is often used to describe an employee's overall level of satisfaction and engagement with their job. Employee morale is important to companies because it can have a significant impact on productivity, performance, and overall organizational success. High morale can lead to increased engagement, satisfaction, and retention, which can ultimately lead to higher levels of productivity and performance. Low morale, on the other hand, can lead to decreased engagement, satisfaction, and retention, as well as lower levels of productivity and performance.

One of the key psychological principles related to morale is that it is a subjective construct, meaning that it can vary from person to person and can be influenced by a wide range of factors. These factors can include individual differences, such as personality and coping styles, as well as external factors such as organizational culture, leadership, and job demands.

Another psychological principle related to morale is that it is a dynamic construct, meaning that it can change over time. For example, an employee may have high morale at the start of a new job, but this can decrease as they become more familiar with the demands of the role. This is why it is important to regularly assess employee morale to identify any changes or trends that may indicate a need for intervention.

HR teams play a crucial role in managing and improving employee morale within an organization. To measure employee morale, HR teams can choose from a wide range of methods, from traditional methods used for years, to the very latest cutting edge HR technology emerging today.

How Can We Measure Morale?

Measuring morale is a complex task that requires an understanding of various psychological principles. One way to measure morale is through traditional self-report surveys. These surveys can include questions about job satisfaction, motivation, and engagement. These surveys can be useful in identifying specific areas where morale may be low and in need of improvement. However, it is important to keep in mind that self-report surveys are subject to biases, such as social desirability bias, which refers to our tendency to respond in ways that we feel are more appropriate or socially acceptable to others, even if untruthful. This can lead to morale surveys providing inaccurate results.

Another way to measure morale is through observation. This can include observing employee behavior, such as attendance, punctuality, and participation in team activities. Additionally, managers and supervisors can conduct interviews or focus groups to gather information about employee morale. A drawback to these methods though, are that they can be time-consuming and may not provide a comprehensive view of employee morale.

Why Passive Listening?

So can we use technology to get around these limitations and drawbacks? Is there a solution that can combine measuring morale in a continuous and automatic way while eliminating the concerns about the truthfulness and honesty of the responses? The answer is YES! Passive listening solutions like Scanta’s TruPulse are now available to do just that. They use AI and automation technologies to measure morale in real time and display the results in trendlines for us to see. In our everyday work lives, it is easy to hide how we feel for a short time, like when the boss walks past, when a colleague asks us what’s up, or when HR sends out a survey for feedback, but our true morale comes out over time in the countless everyday communications we have. There is a treasure trove of insights just waiting to be understood and passive listening solutions are the tools to help us do that.

Measuring Morale Passively

Morale is one of the most elusive metrics that any organization can look for. Leaders must learn how to gauge team morale based on interactions and observations. Is there a better place to observe interaction than through internal chat? Is the contributor positive or negative? Are they critical or supportive? Is your champion offering aid or demanding results? The tone, type, and intent of employee communications can speak volumes to the morale on the team. Are the leaders always there to hear it? 

What About Privacy?

The heart of any employee feedback program is that the information has to be as honest and accurate as possible. In a work world where employees feel they can be negatively judged for saying something controversial, overly blunt, or negative, companies need to ensure that the privacy of their employees is maintained to get the best feedback. Passive listening solutions need to respect individual privacy by de-identifying all communications like a big anonymous survey and summarizing results as company, division or group level insights only so individual privacy is strictly maintained and protected. 

Better Morale Measurement: 

It is important to remember that measuring morale is not just about collecting data, but also about using that data to make informed decisions and taking action to improve employee morale. This may include developing and implementing interventions such as employee engagement programs, team-building activities, or changes to organizational policies and procedures. Measuring morale requires an understanding of various psychological principles, including the subjectivity of morale, the importance of regular assessments, and the need for interventions to improve employee morale. Self-report surveys, observation, and interviews are some of the ways to measure morale, but the latest trend in HR is to use AI in the form of passive listening solutions to get a real time, continuous and automatic look at morale so you can build a better workplace.