their willingness to adapt to organizational strategies. High morale will cause employees to put in extra effort, find ways to work more efficiently, and do higher quality work. An employer with a well-known track record of high morale among employees is also much more likely to attract and retain high talent employees. High morale provides a competitive edge in good times and bad. It also increases customer satisfaction rates. Negative effect of low employee morale There are many negative effects that come along with low employee morale. When a business shows little to no consideration to their employees, many will look for work elsewhere, resulting in a high turnover rate. High turnover can cost the business a lot of money, since they will need to now advertise for these positions and pay for new employee training. This becomes a bad investment when they are constantly paying to train for the same position. High turnover can cost anywhere from 30%-400% of an annual salary, and with an estimated 22 million disengaged employees per year, low morale is costing the economy as much as $350 billion in lost productivity. Leaders who fail to address morale issues in the workplace face the following: decreased productivity, increased rates of absenteeism and associated costs, increased conflicts in the work environment, increased patient complaints and dissatisfied consumers of care, and increased employee turnover rates and costs associated with hiring and training replacement staff. In closing, low employee morale can negatively affect a business in many ways that will cost them much more money in the long run than it would to have better morale. Strategies to increase employee morale •Create a culture that promotes trust and open communication •Be Transparent about the companies’ goals and employees’ roles. •Develop relationships with employees and make an effort to learn about them and connect with them. •Encourage, support, and recognize employees •Offer training, pay for developmental workshops, etc. •Ask employees what you can do to support them. •Recognize the hard work and successes of individuals and teams. •Provide honest feedback, and celebrate successes •Actively coach and mentor when possible •Offer praise and pair it with ways to improve •When possible, give perks and other encouragement. •Recognition goes a long way •Small gestures such as a card or thank you note •Offer perks such as remote work, extra time off, etc. See also Job satisfaction Employee engagement Industrial and organizational