Management relies on morale measurement as a basis for estimating the motivation level of employees because direct measurement of motivation has several complicates. As morale is an overt manifestation of the level of motivation, its measurement provides a proper assessment of motivation in organizational settings.
Organizational morale is basically a mental condition of groups and individuals which determines their attitude.
The indicators of morale are the various attitudes and behavior patterns of employees, which have to be properly and correctly interpreted to determine the kind of organizational climate which prevails at a given time.
Techniques of Measurement of Employee Morale
The most important methods of measuring of morale of employees are as under:
1. Observation
In observation, the evaluator observes the employees on work and records their behavior, attitude, sentiments, and feelings towards the organization, supervisor, or his fellow workers.
Comparing the observations of the two periods, any change in the behavior and attitude of the employees will indicate high or low morale. Commenting on this method.
The supervisor is in the best position to measure by observation the morale of his subordinates from day to day, but he must sharpen his powers of observation and must not brush aside any worthwhile indicator.
2. Attitude or Morale Surveys
This method is generally used to discover the feelings of employees about their jobs, their supervisors, company policies, or the organization as a whole.
It is classified into two categories- the interview method and the questionnaire method.
The Interview Method
By this method, the employee is interviewed so that a judgment may e arrived at about their feeling and opinions about the different aspects of their jobs and the company for which they work.
An interview may be a face to face affair, it may be oral. In this connection, The essential advantages of this method are its sensitivity and comprehensives, while the main demerit is that it is uneconomical for use with larger groups and it is, to some extent, dependent on the interview’s ability to classify and interpret his data.
Related: What causes poor employee morale?
The Questionnarie Method
This method is generally used to collect employee options about the factors which affect morale and their effect on personnel objectives.
Employee morale attitude surveys are generally conducted with a view to:
- Finding out what employees really think.
- Finding out about the kind of education and information they need.
- Improving morale and keeping a check on the effectiveness of personnel programs.
- Determining the training need of employees and,
- Finding out what employees really like.
Directly, employee morale is measured through attitude surveys.
Nowadays, employee attitude surveys are common to progressive concerns.
But certain psychological researchers are doubtful of the value of attitude surveys.
3. Company Records and Reports
Certain records and reports of the company prepared for some other purpose can be helpful in measuring the morale of the employees.
The records can be analyzed in the following manners viz.., change of labor ratio, rate of absenteeism, number of grievances reported by workers and resolved by the management, and number of accidents occurred in the factory, etc.
These variables can be interpreted as an index of morale.
Related: 7 Learning Oriented Guidelines for Employee Training.
4. Counselling
This method is used to find the causes of the dissatisfaction of the employees and to take remedial action and offer advice on personnel matters.
The counseling aims at:
- Providing advice to an employee on the cause of his dissatisfaction.
- Giving him reassurance and courage to face up to his problems.
- Giving him information on company policies and gathering information for the management in regard to employee feelings and attitudes.
- Assisting an employee in thinking clearly about his problems and,
- Re-orienting his basic goals and values.
Signs of low morale can be noted during counseling.
5. Employees Opinions Surveys
Under this method attitude of the workers towards the work and the organization can be known by putting certain quires to the workers.
Examples of certain queries are:
- I work in the company under compulsion.
- I have no respect for or faith in those in authority above me.
- The conditions of work under which I work are not good by any standard.
- I find no freedom, pleasure, or satisfaction in my work.
- I can get the same salary in a different company, I am prepared to resign from my present job.
6. Employee Grievances
Grievances against the job, supervisor, and the organization directly affects the morale of employees.
Thus, the speed of rising grievances and the pace of their redress enables the management to assess morale.
Less number of grievances and their speedy redressal represents a high level of morale.
But here also the metal set up of employees may not allow some employee to put forth their grievances.
Related: Top 8 Methods of Knowing About Employee Grievances.
7. Suggestion Boxes
Many times it is not possible for the employees to express their grievances. They feel shy about doing this.
They may feel that supervisors may take it otherwise.
It is, therefore, suggested that a suggestion box may be kept handy and the employees are informed that they can put their suggestions in writing in such box, even without mention their name and putting their signature.
If the number of suggestions is to increase the management can understand that there is some lacuna which in turn affects the overall morale of the employees.
These suggestions may be discussed and paid sufficient attention to improve the situation.
18 Ways to Build Up Employee Morale in Workplace.
8. Open Door Policy
Open door policy means keeping the doors of top managers open for the employees o approach them and put forth their grievances.
This is a democratic way of giving equal importance to all.
This facility itself can add to boosting morale.
Under this policy, top managers inform, through communications to their employees that they can see the people at top management, in turn, get complete information d viewpoints of workers, through discussion.
This policy helps the management in the assessment of employees’ morale.
9. Other Methods
Apart from the above method, the management may resort to the following methods to measure the morale of employees:
- Group meetings
- Collective bargaining
- Exit interview
- Company statics
- Participative tendencies
- Result of the managerial process
- Job satisfaction research data
- Study of organizational climate
- Group and scheduled interviews
- Performance appraisals
- Confidence in fellow workers and leadership
- Organizational efficiency
- Waste and scrap
- Quality records
- Accidents records
- Medical reports
- Training records
These methods may enable the management to know the point of dissatisfaction.
The more the points of such classification the lower is the degree of morale.
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