At many companies, employee morale took a big hit during the recession and, like the economy overall, has been slow to bounce back. Layoffs, hiring freezes, furloughs and pay reductions – whether at their own companies or elsewhere – have been threatening and unsettling for workers. That combined with increased workloads have made lingering unease and depressed morale common in many workplaces. The effects are far-reaching and too many to list, but they can include reduced productivity and efficiency, increased errors, missed deadlines, slipshod service, apathy and a higher rate of tardiness or absenteeism.

Even if your firm managed to ride out the economic crisis and emerge relatively unscathed, it’s likely your workers are still anxious about what the future might hold. If you suspect that your staff is experiencing low morale, try the following strategies to rebuild your team’s confidence and energy.

Open the channels of communication

To counteract a downward morale spiral, frequent, open communication is essential. It will reassure employees and prevent rumours from spreading. In addition to holding formal meetings to keep your workers apprised of developments, be sure to let them know that you are available on an informal basis if they have questions or concerns. Remove some of the physical and psychological barriers to conversation by keeping your office door open and visiting employees in their workspaces.

Remember that open communication includes listening as well as talking. Let employees know that you welcome feedback about existing procedures and ideas for improvement. Also pay attention when they express doubt, frustration or worries. Such active listening will enable you to address many problematic situations before they escalate.

Closely monitor workloads

One common reason for low morale is that employees feel overwhelmed by the amount of work at hand. This leads to a debilitating cycle - the harder employees work, the more stressed they become and, paradoxically, the less they accomplish. This creates further anxiety and stress, and morale plummets.

To break this cycle, you will need to find cost-effective ways to take some of the burden off staff members. Re-delegating responsibilities and reorganizing processes or job structures can help. This can be challenging at a small company, however, where employees typically "wear many hats" and juggle multiple roles.

Simple reprioritization often can go a long way in increasing efficiencies. The goal is to separate tasks and projects that truly contribute to the bottom line and those that don’t. And let your staff help: Ask your team to take a fresh look at their workloads and identify activities that could be shifted to the back burner for the time being. This exercise could increase your employees’ efficiency and ensure that everyone is working on initiatives that are most important to the business.

At some point, however, additional resources may be the only way to truly reduce individual workloads. If your company cannot afford to hire full-time yet, consider bringing in interim help, such as temporary or project professionals to fill gaps or provide specialized expertise that is needed for one-time-only projects. This approach provides you with the flexibility to staff up or down as needs dictate. The use of interim professionals can also help you decide whether temporary roles should be made full-time at some point and allows you to determine if these individuals might make good candidates for these positions.

Acknowledge, praise and reward

One of the most powerful morale builders is a show of appreciation. Frequently and publicly recognize individual and group efforts and accomplishments. Such acknowledgement doesn’t have to be elaborate. When your staff completes a project ahead of schedule or meets a tight deadline, for example, send a personal note of congratulations to each team member. It’s also important to provide encouragement at other times – a sincere e-mail along the lines of "you’re doing great work and I appreciate your efforts" has tremendous motivational power.

Additional rewards do not have to be expensive. Lift your team's spirits by allowing them to take a longer lunch one day or leave early on a Friday afternoon. Small tokens, such as gift cards or employee discounts on company products, are also good morale boosters.

Build camaraderie and community

The more people enjoy working together, the higher their morale. Foster team unity by creating an environment of collaboration and cooperation rather than competition. Another way to build cohesion and good will is to publicly recognize milestones like anniversaries with your firm, as well as birthdays, weddings or other events in the lives of your employees. Monthly staff lunches give staff an opportunity to relax and socialize together.

When stress and heavy workloads start having a toll on your staff’s morale, take immediate steps to alleviate the burden. While there is no morale “magic bullet,” your team will appreciate the fact that you are responsive to their need for support.

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Robert Half International has more than 360 staffing locations worldwide and offers online job search services on its divisional websites, all of which can be accessed at www.rhi.com. This article is provided courtesy of Robert Half Management Resources, North America’s largest consulting services firm providing senior-level accounting and finance professionals on a project basis. For further information, visit www.roberthalfmr.com or follow Robert Half Management Resources on Twitter at twitter.com/roberthalfmr