Why Do Employees Develop Low Morale And Are Managers To Blame?

Your points are well-taken but there is far more to low employee morale than just an authoritarian mode.

One very important, often overlooked, factor is conflicting instructions. When one level of input doesn't know what the other levels of input are, and their instructions conflict, the employee gets so frustrated they just stop trying if their initial efforts to resolve the problem fail.

Another cause is lack of control over their own work space, job, or some related aspect. If an employee is having to work at odds with what would make their job less stressful (for example, moving something closer to their natural reach when it will not interfere with anything else), they become resentful of the added pain and stress and soon you have subtle sabotage and low employee morale.

Low employee morale is not a one-track, quickly-fixed thing. The source can be a lot of different things from lack of adequate places to put their lunches or hang their coats, to lack of privacy of their paychecks and other records (you'd be amazed how often this crops up despite privacy regulations).

Good, TWO-WAY communication and a spirit of co-operation on both sides are the cures for low employee morale issues.

Sandi Bowman

I agree, Sandi. High morale is relatively easy to achieve in a relatively short period of time.

And I admit to not having made any attempt to enumerate all causes of low morale except for the basic one of a top-down command and control model.

Both of the two factors you added are outgrowths of that model. At the opposite end of the spectrum from command and control is the strategy of allowing employees to develop a "strong sense of ownership". The gains in productivity can be as high as 500% as reported by Stephen Covey.

It amazes me that the command and control model continues to be so popular, but then there are so few at the opposite end that true competition does not exist.

Thanks for your comments, Ben

It can be the boss or manager or supevisor. They have not be trained to handle people nor read "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegi. I ask supervisor and presents to do this and they don't. You go figure.