Managing staff morale in a crisis

The disruptions of service on the SMRT network have ruffled various sectors of Singapore society: the public, who are angered and dismayed; company executives, who are dealing with the aftermath; and politicians, who are looking for accountability.

Many employees and workers have had difficulties getting to work and their work lives disrupted. And to many Singaporeans, it seems public transport can no longer be taken for granted.

However, perhaps another important outcome of these events is something that has not been in the limelight.

With repeated disruptions and the public backlash, it is likely that many SMRT employees are experiencing greater stress and uncertainty in their jobs, leaving them with elevated levels of anxiety.

This could have implications on their work performance, as well as their satisfaction with their jobs and employers.

It is thus a timely reminder of the importance of managing staff morale. The emotional well-being of staff is important, and more so when the company is embroiled in a crisis in which employees bear the brunt of public anger.

Leaders of a crisis-hit company should take measures to help employees manage the threats and chaos.

1. Identify if the issue is a real crisis or whether it might just be considered as a somewhat unusual business problem. This is sometimes referred to as “framing” the crisis—trying to diagnose exactly what is going on.

Real crises may be defined as having an impact on the ongoing outcomes of a firm, such as lost revenue and major unexpected expenses,having serious impact on employees and other stakeholders of the firm, or something that will recur with regularity.

From another perspective, the recent train disruptions may not necessarily be classified as a real “crisis” (except perhaps to SMRT), because most businesses were not seriously affected by the breakdowns, and they seem to be an irregularity rather than something that will happen frequently.

The breakdowns certainly were irritating, however, and disrupted commuters’ schedules.

2. Even if something does not qualify as a crisis, senior management should be aware of its potential impact on employees. Do not avoid or play down their concerns.

3. Be quick and prepare initial responses for employees within a short period of time, so as to offset or minimise negative feelings of uncertainty and confusion.

4. Communicate to employees, using different media, to keep them updated on the nature of the problem, how it might affect them, what is being done about it, and how they can work together.Let staff know that there is a crises plan and that the organisation is on top of unexpected events.

Last but not least, leadership style is important. Senior executives need to be visibly present, communicate well, and provide assurance to employees that they understand their predicament.

I read that that an employer fined an employee in one instance, because he could not reach his workplace in time due to the train service disruption —not a very good idea for staff morale, in my opinion.

There actually is a fairly large amount of information on how to handle crises that can be found on the internet. It would be prudent for executives to review these various sources of information in order to be responsive when chaos rears its ugly head.

Richard Arvey, Professor in the Department of Management and Organisation, NUS Business School