Employee morale is about more than just happiness in the workplace, although happiness is a key component of it. Ultimately, morale is about something deeper, tracing to a sense of purpose and satisfaction with our work that carries us through busy or difficult periods. During those times, for example, we may not exactly be happy, per se, but our morale remains high because we believe in what we’re doing and the organization we’re doing it for.
How is Your Team’s Morale?
It’s easy to sense low morale in a workspace. In best-case scenarios, low morale may just result in a sense the team is “off” in some way: low energy, low enthusiasm, minor but frequent conflicts. If a morale issue is more serious, you might see more frequent absenteeism, increased errors in work, escalating conflicts between employees. Customers and clients notice.
Morale problems can stem from a number of causes, or a combination of causes related to personnel, technology, or processes in the organization. Maybe employees feel they’re getting unclear guidance or there’s a lack of transparency in another area of management. Maybe they’re frustrated by obsolete technology. Maybe they’re using advanced technology or other work processes without adequate training or preparation. Maybe they feel they’ve been assigned tasks that don’t match or make the most of their talents and abilities. Most morale problems boil down to workers feeling overtaxed and underappreciated on some basic level.
Is Outsourcing the Answer?
Because morale issues in an organization result from a complex web of causes, they don’t lend themselves easily to one simple fix. Improving communication with the team and getting feedback on causes of low morale is the first step, but if one of those causes is a feeling of overwork or feeling some tasks are a waste of time and talent, outsourcing some of those tasks can be a valuable part of a morale-boosting strategy.
Records retrieval is a good example of the type of task where outsourcing may help morale. We happen to love retrieving records. At The Records Company, we look at each request as a challenge and a puzzle to solve. But we’re specialists in records retrieval, so our talents and skills are tailored for the task. We also know our way around the system, so we know how to solve those records retrieval puzzles quickly and efficiently. Most importantly, records retrieval is all we do. Our client specialists aren’t juggling those requests with an inbox filled with other—different—tasks that need to be addressed today.
By contrast, your team members do have other tasks on their schedules for today. What’s more, they don’t necessarily know all the ins and outs of records retrieval processes in all 50 states, so they may find themselves spinning their wheels on a single record request. Frustration sets in. The cycle begins—or continues. Outsourcing takes records retrieval off your employee’s plate and lets them focus on an area where they can use their talents for better effect. While outsourcing might not be a magic bullet for morale issues, it can be an important start to turning things around.
Using outsourcing to boost workplace morale isn’t limited to records retrieval, of course. Your team may benefit from passing along any task they find time-consuming and frustrating. Even if you don’t have any issues entrenched in your organization, outsourcing some of those tasks can be a useful preventative measure. Contact us to find out more about how The Records Company can assist with your records retrieval needs and keep your organization humming along in harmony.