SmallBusinessNewz

HR firm TriNet released the results of an interesting survey looking at employee morale and what small businesses are doing to keep it high.

Is it staying high? Here is how respondents answered:

- 75 percent of small business leaders said employee morale has held steady or improved in the second quarter

- The largest group of respondents (41 percent) believed that employee morale in their companies has remained unchanged from a year ago

- 34 percent think employee morale has improved

- 24 percent said it declined

So what contributes to morale? Here is how they responded to that:

- 36 percent say company culture and reputation is the biggest contributor to employee morale

- 23 percent say work/life balance

- 22.3 percent say job security

- only 4 percent believe morale is affected by advancement opportunities

- 5 percent by benefits

- and 9 percent by compensation

TriNet says that when it comes to the way employees perceive their company, most (60 percent) say they successfully built and maintained a positive employment brand through good communication and quality management practices.

"These results prove that employees are happier and more likely to stay with their companies due to the quality of their management," said Burton M. Goldfield, president and CEO of TriNet. "Companies that develop the skills of their leaders boost employee morale, which then positively contributes to the company’s overall employment brand."

So respect your employees and communicate with them. If you put yourself in their place, they will be more likely to return the respect, and morale will likely be higher. Higher morale leads to higher productivity, which means higher profits. Think about it.