Gary had been working alongside his team at a small computer-aid design firm for seven years when rumor spread that his company was going to be bought-out. The idea of such a big transition was both exciting and intimidating for Gary and his co-workers. Nevertheless, the employees were promised they would all maintain their jobs and salaries.

However, the initial company was divided into two parts and sold to different companies.

Shortly after the acquisition occurred, employees started be laid off, and a few others had their job description drastically changed. Some even had to take a pay cut. The remaining employees felt angry and their performance began to suffer.  

Everyone was frantic. The new CEO seemed withdrawn, and the old CEO kept misleading employees and managers alike. Workplace morale was low, at best.

It wasn’t until one key manager stepped up and decided to act as liaison for her team that change occurred. Out of desperation for answers, she decided to communicate with the new CEO to express her team’s discord. The staff began to trust management again once the communication barriers were removed.

Acquisitions are only one example of when workplace morale comes into question. Any time of change is especially hard on employee morale.

Here is a look at some of the times when employees may find morale drop:

Who’s your go-to person at work? I’m talking about that one co-worker you talk to about everything and who always has your back. Now, imagine walking into work one day and finding out your teammate is being laid off.

This is exactly what happened to Tina and Mary. As work-friends, they had each other’s backs without fail. When one was confused or behind on the day’s tasks, the other would jump in to relieve stress and pressure from the situation. That’s why when Tina was given notification of getting laid off, Mary felt betrayed by the company.

With so much stress after employees are laid off or fired, managers tend to focus only on the person being let-go. However, often those left behind are greatly affected by these decisions as well. In Mary’s case, manager’s weren’t proactive or communicative about the situation. Leaving Mary open to feeling sabotaged and looking for new career opportunities.

Here’s why your employees may feel sabotaged after a layoff or firing:

If you ask most of his employees, Doug is the ideal manager. He rewards hard work by offering his staff days off, is often heard telling people they’ve done a great job when passing them in the hallways, and will stop to help his team anytime they ask.

While Doug feels he’s on the right track with almost all of his employees, he can never seem to get on the same page with Carrie. During their monthly group meetings she’s very quiet, his gifts for her hard work seem underappreciated, and when he tells the team they’ve all done a good job, it doesn’t seem like she really hears him.

Does any of this make Doug a bad manager or Carrie a troublesome employee? No. The issue is that Doug, like many good managers, isn’t speaking the same language as all of his employees.

Forming a solid relationship, or bettering the ones you already have with your employees, is crucial for employees to reach their full potential. According to a recent  Virgin Pulse survey, 60 percent of respondents said their relationship with their employer positively impacts their focus or productivity at work and 44 percent said it positively impacts their stress levels.

Nurturing positive working relationships with every single employee is a manager’s dream, but how can that be possible with so many different personality types? The key is understanding your employees’ languages.

The popular relationship book, The 5 Love Languages, points out we all need to be aware of what languages those around us are speaking in order to fully develop our relationships.

Here’s how you can take four of those languages and begin speaking to your employees in a way they’ll understand:

This new year has many changes in store — a new U.S. President, new HR compliance laws and, hopefully, new quality employees coming aboard your team. But with 46 percent of U.S. employers reporting they are having difficulty filling jobs — an all-time high since 2007, according to ManpowerGroup’s 2016/2017 Talent Shortage Survey — you too may be experiencing trouble finding the perfect new hires for your company.

The most important part of hiring this year is being in tune with what job seekers want out of their job search. Companies that are turning the tables and making the process candidate-focused are able to get one step closer to finding candidates with the proper skills and personality to match their culture.

Follow these three easy steps to make 2017 your best hiring year yet:

Buying gifts, worrying about money to buy those gifts, spending time with family, not having time to spend with that family — even without added work pressure, your employees are already extra stressed during the holidays.

Virgin Pulse’s December 2014 survey of 1,000 participants, ‘Tis The Season For Stress, found 70 percent of employees have significantly raised stress levels during the holidays. Of those respondents, more than 10 percent said they feel an overwhelming 60 to 100 percent more stressed during this time of the year.

It turns out, the packed on stress during the holiday season isn’t just hurting your employees. In fact, Tis The Season For Stress reported 64 percent of employees say holiday-related stress causes them to be distracted at work, which in turn drives 30 percent more anxiety — diminishing their quality of work by the same amount. With so many employees feeling the effects of holiday stress, that’s a number employers can’t afford.

It’s time to leave the bottle of wine on the shelf and back away from the cinnamon scented candles. Your employees deserve long-term changes in the workplace that will help them de-stress and grow all year long. Here are three things your employees really want this holiday season:

More employers are adding exercise programs, office fitness challenges, and mental breaks to their wellness programs in an effort to make the workplace employee-centric, but these initiatives benefit more than just employees. In fact, Xerox’s October survey, Working Well: A Global Survey of Workforce Wellbeing Strategies, found 59 percent of employers are focusing on well-being to improve performance and productivity.

While mental and physical health are crucial aspects of employee well-being, employers are missing out on a few key elements to truly enhance their wellness strategy. There’s more to employee well-being than exercise and deep breathing — here’s where to start:

This post was updated to bring you the most up-to-date tips, October 2020.

As your career services team is prepping the future leaders of America to enter the workforce, it’s important to treat students as both mentees and employees. Exercising employee engagement techniques will not only prepare them for how employers will treat them, but also they’re a great way to keep college students focused, passionate, and motivated. 

While some students are ready to run full-force into their chosen career path, many are unaware of the challenges they’ll face upon arriving in the workplace. Unfortunately, 45% of employees do not feel their employer promotes a healthy work-life balance, according to a 2019 study from The Execu|Search Group. Additionally, 66% of professionals said that there isn’t much support for those wishing to take on leadership roles.

Keeping college students sheltered from the harsh realities of the working world is impossible. To lessen the shock, it’s essential career services gives them the tools and resources necessary to begin preparing for a career. In fact, you can use employee engagement strategies that employers use in the office every day to set them on the right path.

Here’s how to start training your college students for the big jump into their careers:

What’s the craziest call out excuse you’ve ever heard? According to CareerBuilder’s latest study on the craziest work excuses heard by 2,500 hiring and human resources managers, organizations have received some pretty bizarre — and possibly desperate — stories from employees. From the ozone flattening a tire to being bit by a duck, it’s apparent some staff members will go to extreme lengths to get time off work.

While this study presents humorous findings, employers should be asking themselves a major question: why do employees feel the need to lie or exaggerate about why they can’t come to work? Or, possibly worse, why do 47 percent feel the need to show up when they’re truly sick?

Feeling like they need to hoard certain days off, or not wanting to categorize t

he time they’re taking as sick or personal could be pushing employees to use these crazy excuses. Here’s how you can help your team feel confident in taking time off — without worrying about having to admit they just ate too much birthday cake the night before: