Team Morale Michael Snipas, Lead Technician Desktop Support Service
New SUPERvisor Series Final project – March 2009
“When morale decreases for whatever reason, productivity usually tumbles right along with it. Costly employee absenteeism, accidents, turnover and dissatisfaction increase. Without your concern and action to attack the causes of decreasing morale, the mood, motivation and activity levels of your employees may be at risk.” entrepreneur.com
My Project Goals for Staff Development To create team unity To produce open communication To increase productivity All to ultimate improve morale within our unit.
Background 4 technicians assigned to me oExperience level ranges between 1-16 years o2 technicians covering 2 zones on campus. Total number of buildings = 40 Mix of faculty, staff and students
Org Chart for DSS Zone 3 and 4 My current team Michael Snipas Lead Tech Joe 16 yrs Ahmed 2 yrs Aly 9 yrs Marley 1 yrs
How to Improve Staff Morale Encourage open communication Relevant and ongoing training Consideration of Employee Lives Outside the Work Environment Teambuilding Exercises Recognition Schemes
Encouraging Open Communication Provide support of new ideas within the team. Listen to concerns regarding work issues. Encourage team members to work with their partners
Training Have team review courses provided on GMU site (smartforce.gmu.edu) Encourage focus on specialized training course that benefits the university, unit and team members (Apple Certification and A +) Attend HR Customer Service Certification courses provided by the university
Consideration of Worker’s Lives Outside the Work Environment…otherwise known as work-life balance. Be able to flex technician time for personal issues, illness and vacation Genuinely ask about family or other topics of importance (wife, husband, kids, pets) Make the connection by finding common ground. Talk about hobbies, sports, and travel.
Teambuilding Exercises Work together on large projects. Work together on difficult problems. Training each other on specialized equipment.
Recognition Schemes Caught in the Act Awards. Employee of the Month. Good job noticed in group meetings. Paid breakfast and / or lunch meetings. One on one comments.
Results Increased willingness to work together. More calls closed on average. Positive feedback from customers.
Purpose of this project To improve morale with the 4 technicians assigned to me. To give the technicians a sense of pride in the work that they do. To increase productivity by using the tools that the university and the department that they provide me
Steps taken to ensure successful outcome Work with a small reward program to highlight minor accomplishments. Share positive feedback with technicians and the department manager submitted by GMU faculty and staff. Host breakfast meetings with technicians and other members of our technical staff, budget permitting. Hold formal one to one mentoring sessions with the technicians. Recognize that coachable moments can happen during informal moments too.
What was the outcome? Clear communication among the technicians A faster response time with service calls A more cohesive team environment Increased morale within our group
What did you learn from this process? Understanding the importance of better communication (actively listening and talking) The value or rewarding technicians and how they impact work productivity. Being cognizant of the cause and effect relationships. Increase in morale lead to higher productivity. Increase in morale and productivity lead to pride in a accomplishments (individually and as a team) and a sense of value and ownership.