Morale has to do with feelings.

In workplaces where morale is high, employees approach their

work with energy, enthusiasm, and willingness. They want to come to work—or at least are
enthusiastic about work once they get there. 

Motivation, on the other hand, refers to employees' drive to get the job done. Highly
motivated employees tend to be high producers, but that doesn’t necessarily mean their
morale is high. In fact, employees can be motivated by “negative incentives” such as a fear of
losing their job, an excessive desire for rewards, or an overly competitive need to outperform a
colleague. Although these tendencies often result in an employee getting a lot of work done—
and can even result in highly creative or innovative output—they diminish the overall health
and morale of the team or the organization.

How do morale and motivation work together?

Morale and motivation work together in an ongoing cycle. When morale is high, employees
seem naturally more motivated to work hard and get positive results. When morale is low—and
employees become less self-motivated—some well intentioned managers mistakenly resort to
unpleasant, heavy-handed tactics (such as nagging, threatening unpleasant consequences,
making more rules, micromanaging, etc.), which in turn lower morale even further.
Understanding morale and motivation is vital to creating a high-performance workplace. Not
surprisingly, the best results come when both high morale and high motivation are present.
When it comes to raising morale, there are two important things to keep in mind:

1. It’s not all fun and games.

2. Occasionally, you need fun and games.

The chart below illustrates this. The idea, of course, is to get your employees into the Efficiency
Zone and keep them there.
image: https://cdn.business2community.com/wp-
content/uploads/2013/02/Morale_Motivation_Chart5.jpg
Here’s what we know:

 The manager sets the tone for the entire team/department/center.

 Morale is contagious.
 Different things motivate different people.
 Environmental conditions affect morale.
 Motivations change.
 There’s no magic formula or 100 percent guaranteed approach to creating high morale.
 Maintaining high morale is as much about caring as it is about caution.
 When employees’ needs are met, they tend to be willing to do what you ask—and
more.
 Increasing morale makes good business sense.

Read more at https://www.business2community.com/sales-management/call-center-morale-

vs-motivation-why-theyre-key-to-your-success-0408266
Read more at https://www.business2community.com/sales-management/call-center-morale-
vs-motivation-why-theyre-key-to-your-success-0408266

Source/ URL : business2community.com/sales-management/call-center-morale-vs-motivation-

why-theyre-key-to-your-success-0408266
Morale Vs. Motivation
by Devra Gartenstein

A team that cares about your products, customers and the well being of your business will go
the extra mile to make sure work is done well and clients are satisfied. Employee morale is an
overall positive attitude that manifests in every aspect of a worker's performance. Motivation is
a more targeted approach to working well, one that generates efforts geared towards specific
outcomes. An employee with low morale can still be motivated by a desire to earn a paycheck,
but his commitment may end once he receives the money.
Morale Outcomes

High employee morale has outcomes that reach far beyond the scope of specific projects.
Employees who are engaged take initiative. They create a workplace culture that also raises the
morale of their coworkers. Employees with high morale are motivated, and their morale also
manifests in intangible outcomes such as energy and enthusiasm, which reflect well on your
company and create a work environment in which new ideas are encouraged.
Motivation Outcomes

Employees who are motivated do what they need to do, when they need to do it. They may
even go above and beyond the specific instructions you provide, through problem solving and
working extra hours if necessary. The outcome from employee motivation depends on the
source of the motivation. An employee motivated by a desire for a raise may stop working as
hard once he gets that raise. However, an employee motivated by high morale will keep his
motivation as long as his morale is high.
Building Morale

As a manager, you have the capacity to build morale by creating a positive work environment.
Make employees feel valued by praising their accomplishments and encouraging them to learn
rather than criticizing their mistakes. Give them enough autonomy for them to make real
contributions and feel pride in company successes. Accommodate their personal lives by
allowing flexible scheduling, as long as this does not place an undue burden on coworkers.
Foster team-building by planning activities and occasional gatherings.
Building Motivation
You can motivate employees by attaching rewards to the completion of specific tasks, or
fostering friendly competition aimed at rewarding outstanding performance. Being specific
about the desired outcomes also can improve motivation by providing employees with a clear
gauge of their progress. Although these measures can be effective in achieving short-term
results, the best way to maintain ongoing motivation is to make employee morale a priority, in
company policies and in practice.

Source/ URL: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/morale-vs-motivation-78713.html

Other resources:
Measuring Morale

Measuring employee morale lets employers diagnose and treat any morale issues before they become more

problematic. Employee-satisfaction surveys capture information about a company’s strengths and weaknesses,

as judged by its very own employees. Questions are formulated to find out if employees are happy, if they like

their jobs and what improvements they think should be made in the workplace.

Morale can also be measured through observation. Common behaviors in a workplace with low morale include

employees appearing less enthusiastic and energetic, turning in assignments late and not performing at

previous levels. If you want to see hard data, ask your human resources department to run a report on

absenteeism in your organization. If absenteeism is on the rise, this could be an indication of low morale.

Sources of Low Morale

As a manager you must identify the key issues that could be causing low morale in your organization. For

example, If employees feel like there aren't opportunities for career advancement in the organization, they can

become discouraged to the point of wanting to look for positions elsewhere

Poor leadership can also negatively influence the morale of an organization. If employees don't feel like they

are getting the communication, support and guidance that they need from their supervisors, it can decrease

employees' motivation to do top-notch work.

Workplace conditions can also affect morale. If managers are working their employees hard, but employees are

not seeing any benefits or signs of appreciation for their grueling efforts, this can deflate their spirits.

Solutions

Finding a solution to the cause of your company's low morale is essential if you want to maintain your

workforce. If you suspect that lack of professional growth opportunities is causing low morale, find out how

many promotions were given to employees over the past year. If the number is low, look for ways to promote

qualified seasoned employees.

If you sense that low morale is caused by poor leadership, invest in supervisory skills training for your

management staff. Refresher courses in leadership may enhance managers' communication abilities and inspire

them to build relationships with their employees.

Poor workplace conditions can be transformed with some affordable solutions. According to an August 2008

article in Forbes magazine, employees put a lot of value into feeling appreciated. Nonfinancial benefits such as

flexible work schedules, longer lunch breaks and more job independence, can help employees feel better about

workplace conditions and leave them feeling appreciated for the work they do.

https://www.trainingfolks.com/blog/morale-motivation-instructional-design-consultants