There are always events and circumstances that make some employees feel more appreciated than others. However, when the atmosphere is toxic to employee morale at a small business, an owner has a serious problem on their hands.

According to an infographic by Office Vibe, employee disengagement costs more than $500 billion per year in profits to the U.S. economy. What’s scariest of all for most small business owners is that their poor employee morale happens without them even realizing it. Owners and their managers often unintentionally de-motivate their employees, even if they are trying to do the exact opposite. Below, AdviCoach reviews the top 3 deadly ways small business owners are killing employee morale…

3 Deadly Ways to Kill Employee Morale

Not Investing in Professional Development

All employees should feel as if they are learning and growing as a professional while working at your small business. Without an opportunity to improve one’s skills, it’s easy to become bored and static at work. Not only does professional development boost the abilities of the employee in question for their own career, but it also helps the company grow. Small business owners who actively facilitate professional development indicate to their workforce that they are invested in their employees’ success. By failing to provide programs or even one-on-one guidance that drives an employee to develop, a small business owner is negatively impacting the future of their business.

Inadequate Communication

It’s not uncommon for a small business owner to feel as if certain pieces of information should be kept a secret from their employees. In today’s age, this lack of transparency can create a sense of distrust among employees, which can ultimately ruin the effectiveness of a team. When you actively keep information from your employees, they become unable to properly determine the best course of action or adequately serve your customers.

Lack of Appreciation

Every employee, regardless of their level within your business, can provide valuable input. If an employee feels that their ideas are not being considered or their work is not appreciated, they will become discontent with the organization. These feelings tend to fester and spread across the organization, which means a small business owner can quickly kill employee morale simply by lacking appreciation for their workforce.

These three employee morale killers can have a profoundly negative impact on the success of a small business. As a result, it’s crucial that a small business owner works to avoid these negative characteristics identified by AdviCoach.