A.Basics: Morale is the term usually applied to armed forces during wartime, and to sports and athletic teams.

It refers to team spirit and togetherness of people for a common purpose. Morale (also known as esprit de corps) is the possession of a feeling on the part of an employee or a group of employees being accepted and belonging to the work group and the organization, through adherence to common goals and having confidence in the desirability of these goals. Morale is purely emotional. It is an attitude of an employee towards his job, his superior and his organization. It is not static thing, but it changes depending on working conditions, superiors, fellow workers pay and so on.+ Definitions: Morale is a fundamental psychological concept. It is not easy to define. Morale is the degree of enthusiasm and willingness with which the members of a group pull together to achieve group goal. It has been defined differently by different authors. According to Davis "Morale can be defined as the attitudes of individual and groups towards their work environment and towards voluntary cooperation to the full extent of their ability in the best interest at the organization".

Factors affecting morale: Employee Morale is a very complex phenomenon and is influenced by many factors on the shop floor. Several criteria seem important in the determinants of levels of workers Morale such as: 1. Objectives of the organization: Employees are highly motivated and their Morale is high if their individual goal and objectives are in tune with organizational goal and objectives. 2. Organizational design: Organization structure has an impact on the quality of labour relation, particularly on the level of Morale. Large organization tend to lengthen their channels of vertical communication and to increase the difficulty of upward communication. Therefore the Morale tends to be lower. The flat structure increases levels of Morale. 3. Personal Factors: It is relating to age, training, education and intelligence of the employees, time spent by them on the job and interest in worth taken by them, affect the Morale of the employees. For example: if an employee is not imparted proper training he will have low Morale. 4. Rewards: Employees expect adequate compensation for their services rendered to the organization. Good system of wages, salaries, promotions and other incentives keep the Morale

of the employees high. 5. Good Leadership and Supervision: The nature of supervision can tell the attitudes of employees because a supervisor is in direct contact with the employers and can have better influences on the activities of the employees. 6. Work Environment: The building and it appearance the condition of machines, tools, available at work place provision for safety, medical aid and repairs to machinery etc. all have an impact on their Morale. 7. Compatibility with fellow employees: Man being a social animal finds his words more satisfying if he feels that he has the acceptance and companionship of his fellow workers. If he has confidence in his fellow worker and faith in their loyalty his Morale will be high. 8. Job Satisfaction: If the job gives an employee an opportunity to prove his talents and grow personality, he will certify like it and he will have high morale.

B. Significance of Morale: 1. Morale Provides a Competitive Edge in Good Times and Bad Surviving a crisis (for the organization alone or for the society in general) is far easier when morale is high. The team pulls together and works as one. Sacrifices are shared much more easily. High morale is therefore more than protective armor, although it does play that defensive role: it offers an offensive path through the crisis, which those lacking it will not be able to follow.

2. The Morale Process (Measurement-Implementation) Gives Employees a Voice: It sounds like a circular argument, but it is true: Simply measuring morale and feeding back the results, when carried out correctly, improves morale. Over and over again, employees have

thanked us for being in their organization, collecting their opinions and letting them know how they and their colleagues feel as a group. 3. High Morale Helps Organizations Attract and Retain Talented People Organizations selected by Fortune and the UK equivalent Sunday Times Best Places to Work, trumpet their appearance on such lists in recruitment advertising, not just at the point of sale like at Starbucks, but also in newspaper and online ads. They are eager to let the world know how good it is to work for them. 4. High Morale Makes the Workplace Easier to Manage and Increases Productivity Stripped of the dramas created by negative morale situations and the challenges of dealing with people who like to perpetuate them (from individuals with no management responsibility to managers themselves), the high morale workplace becomes less fearful, stressful and more fun. Management time can be focused on things that make the organization more

productive, not just putting out fires related to personnel, or replacing the people who have left.High Morale Reduces Workplace Accidents, Reduces Absenteeism, Reduces Workplace Stress, Improves Employee Health and Reduces Sick Days Taken. Plenty of evidence exists for all of these claims; in fact the evidence is so overwhelming that it is hard to imagine why organizations do not implement practices that would lead to a maximum level of morale, even if only to gain just these advantages; and yet many do not. 5. High Morale Organizations Can Have Higher Customer Satisfaction than Low Morale Ones A great deal of research shows the morale-customer satisfaction connection, and demonstrates causal connections between the two. 6. Morale is a Leading Indicator and Allows Organizations to Prevent Potential Negative Situations

By examining trends based on previous employee survey data you have collected, you can have a sense of how the future will play out if you take no action. This is especially true when a poorly performing manager is having a negative effect on employee morale. High morale leads to creativity and that leads to self-esteem which it is believed leads to team brainstorming which invents new ideas, products and inventions to make the company you work for more successful economically.

Building of high morale: A companys success or failure is directly linked to its employees morale. When a company employs workers with high employee morale, the business benefits from high productivity, low workplace conflicts and teamwork. Maintaining high employee morale is an important task for managers. Knowing what motivates employees and boost morale can help you keep a positive work environment.

In order to achieve high morale among the employees the following suggestion may be followed: 1. Two-Way Communication: There should be a two-way communication between the management and the workers as if exercises a profound influences on morale. The workers should be kept informed about the organization policies and programmes through conferences, bulletins and informal discussions with the workers.Keeping the lines of communication open with employees is another way to build and maintain employee morale. In times of change in an organization, avoid keeping employees in the dark. Even if all you possess is a little information to convey, inform employees of that information and let them know of your plans to update them further when new developments occur. Communicating with employees eases anxiety and increases their comfort in the workplace. 2. Show Concern. Large or small every business should have names on desks work stations or cubicles to show that a real person with worth works there not just a machine. Next ask their opinion whenever an opportunity arises rather than always telling them what to do or the way to do it. This allows employees to add their own creative thoughts to the work process, which then can lead to more

of a feeling of ownership. Finally ask how they are without wanting to know deeply personal data the boss can easily show on interest in the individual walkers. 3. Welfare Measures: There should be a proper incentive system in the organization to ensure monetary and nonmonetary rewards of the employees to motivate them.Management must provide for employees welfare measures like canteens credit facilities sport clubs, education for their children e.t.c 4. Social Activities: Management should encourage social group activities by the workers. This will help to develop greater group cohesiveness which can be used by the management for building high morale. 5. Training: There should be proper training of the employees so that they may do their work efficiently and avoid frustration when the worker are given training they get psychological satisfaction as they feel that management is taking interest in them. 6. Workers Participation: There should be industrial democracy in the organization management should allow workers participation in management. Whenever a change to be introduced which effects the workers

they must be consulted and taken into confidence workers must be allowed to put forward their suggestion and grievance to the top management. 7. Offers recognition of the employee efforts: It takes but a few seconds to say "Nice Job" "Well done", "Marked improvement", "You 're' on the right road" or any number of other phrases that communicate to the employee that you care about the job and about them and that you recognize an improvement in productivity. Also, employees can be given performance awards or have their name mentioned at staff meetings, posted on a notice boards or in employee inter office E-mail to say that someone did a note monthly Job. All of these simple modes of painting out individual team or group behaviour serve as very strong methods of improving productivity self-worth and morale. Recognizing your employees achievements and contributions is a way to build employee morale. Whether you simply take time to say thank you or give employees gifts or bonuses, employees value the recognition received from managers. It shows employees that they are not simply hired help, but a valuable part of the firm. Some companies choose to recognize individual and team achievements. Other ways to recognize employees contributions include paid lunch outings, gift cards, thank-you notes and monetary bonuses.

C.Applications : Many Organizations use following techniques to build the morale of the employees: 1. Incorporate Fun Activities:Although a high level of productivity is important in the workplace, you can also incorporate fun activities for employees in an out of the office. You could include a short activity before a training session to break the ice and motivate employees to participate in the training class. For example, allowing employees to tell a short, funny story before a training session builds employees morale and causes them to contribute by asking questions, offering suggestions or voicing reasonable complaints. You can also incorporate a fun activity outside of the job such as a bowling or ice cream night for the team. Keeping morale high among employees is a crucial component in the success of any business because satisfied employees are more productive, loyal and apt to spread the good word about their company throughout the industry. Employees respond to more than just monetary perks. In fact, many morale-boosting activities, such as getting employees involved in a company sports day, don't require much extra funding at all.

a. Spirit Day: Similar to school spirit day in high school, when students were encouraged to wear their school colors and gather for a pep rally, organizations can single out one day to allow their employees to show their devotion to the company through their clothing and activities. Organizations can create T-shirts that carry the corporate logo for all employees to wear that day and gather the entire company for a morale-boosting meeting. Awards can be presented to employees for various accomplishments, such as perfect attendance and highest number of new clients per month. b. Sports Day: Sports activities promote teamwork and foster a sense of connectivity between employees, making them feel that they are part of a unified front, thereby boosting morale. According to ePromos, corporations can boost the sense of loyalty among employees by designing team T-shirts and hats for the sports day activities, which also build camaraderie among the group in a setting far removed from the office environment. c. Field Trip Day: Group outings help employees get to know each other better outside of the office, causing them to bond and become more interdependent at work. Any sort of group outing where the atmosphere is relaxed, such as a company-sponsored meal at a local restaurant or a trip to a theater performance or concert, lifts the spirits of hardworking employees, highlights their similar interests and makes them feel that their employer views them as more than just a workhorse, boosting morale. d. Employee Recognition Day: One of the fastest ways to boost morale among employees is to offer them praise for a job well done, particularly if it's in a public situation such as a staff meeting or company-wide conference. The Michigan Association of Secondary

School Principals presents its employees inexpensive recognition gifts twice a year. Past gifts have included bite-size crunchy candy bars with a note that read "Thanks for your help at crunch time" and lollipops draped with a tissue with a note reading "Don't have a ghost of a chance without you."

2. Games:Different organizations and teams dealing with unique challenges, tension and stresses will benefit from particular morale boosting activities. If your organization is one where most people work independently in isolated cubicles or small offices that span a large territory, you want to arrange morale-boosting games that provide a bit of competition and focus on face to face interaction. On the other hand, if the participants in your moral boosting activities are customer service and/or sales representatives who live and breathe customer rejection, objections and sales and customer satisfaction targets on a daily basis, games should be light-hearted and low intensity to provide relief. a. Office Olympics: Divide the employees into groups of four or more, and have each group pick a country to represent. Have each team nominate members to represent them at various activities, which can include a no hands/blind folded pie eating contest, a competition to see how many marshmallows participants can fit in their mouths, a race to see how many pennies teammate A can stick on Teammate B with tape in a specified amount of time, a speed-typing challenge (words per minute) and a long-distance paper airplane competition. Keep track of first, second and third place finishes, and award

prizes to the top performing teams at the conclusion of the games. These activities will raise team spirits, take the teams mind off the stresses of work and relieve tension. b. Human Lego: Divide the team into two equal groups and place two identical rugs or towels on the ground in front of each group. Give each team a certain amount of time-one minute should suffice--to get all of their teammates onto the rug. Then ask them to step off, reduce the area of the rug by (fold it) and instruct them to get the whole team onto the rug again. Continue the drill, making the rug smaller and smaller after each round, challenging the groups to be more and more creative with their placements of people. This drill should produce a few laughs while enhancing problem-solving skills and facilitating team building. c. Lost at Sea: Separate the group into two teams and have each team stand on one of two identical mats, approximately 5 feet apart. Mark a target destination approximately 20 to 30 feet away from the mats--an equal distance from both groups. Supply every member of both teams with one object--a large rock, a piece of paper, a newspaper, an old book -that they can use to step on. Mix up the objects in terms of shapes and sizes, but ensure that each of the two groups are equipped with the same objects. The objective of the drill is for each team to travel from their island to the destination point. The rules are that they may not step in the water--the area off their mat; therefore they are required to place their objects in the water and step on them where needed. If any team member falls into the water--slips or steps off an object--the group must pick up all of their objects and return to the island to start from scratch. The first group to get all of its members to the

destination point wins. This drill will enhance cooperation and communication skills and lift team spirits. 3. Employee morale programs: Employee morale should be something that every manager is concerned with. According to Austin Peay State University, morale should not be confused with motivation. The motivation to work is represented by the wage employees are paid. Morale is the positive state of mind that creates a productive work atmosphere. Using employee morale programs will help increase productivity and company revenue. a. Accomplishment Recognition: Whether it is the employee of the week award or the top sales producer of the year, employees feel appreciated when their results are recognized by the company. Create a series of awards to honor employee achievements and present them publicly in front of all employees. If an employee does something heroic or noteworthy in the community, then recognize that accomplishment as well. Sometimes a simple birthday cake to celebrate an employee birthday can go a long way to maintaining high employee morale. b. Management Interaction: Employees benefit from management feedback on a regular basis, according to Entrepreneur magazine. Let employees know when they have done their job right with the occasional pat on the back, or help employees improve their performance by pointing out issues and helping the employee solve those issues. A program of management interaction with employees will allow employees to feel as though management is paying

attention to employee activity, and that management wants to help improve employee performance. c. Setting Goals: When a sales team is given what they consider to be unrealistic sales goals, there is a drop in the morale of the sales group. While it is important to set aggressive metrics to help the company grow, those goals are only meaningful to employees when they feel that the expectations can be met. Get managers involved in the goal-setting process, and avoid consistently setting goals that employees and managers feel are unrealistic. An employee feels empowered when he feels he can achieve his goals. Set up a plan where those that exceed the goals are rewarded with a bonus. d. Be Personable: The gap between management and employees can sometimes become too wide, and that can lead to a drop in morale. Get managers involved in programs that make them seem more personable and accessible. Create a day once a month where managers order a lunch in for their employees. Encourage managers to write handwritten notes of congratulations to employees for reaching a sales goal or getting a college degree. Employees prefer to work for people, and the more personable management can seem then the better that is for employee morale.