Ludwig on Leadership: You May Be Causing Low Morale!

I’ve heard it in some organizations I’ve worked in before: “Morale is low! I’m tired of fighting the system! I feel drained! This place sucks!” As an EMS manager, none of these comments makes you feel warm and fuzzy. As an EMS manager, you would like to think everyone in your organization is happily skipping about their day at work. But that may not be the case.

What I am about to say may not be popular, but the problem may be you! You as the EMS manager may be contributing to or causing the low morale problem!

Sure, there will always be a certain percentage of employees who are unhappy and have low morale because they have other issues going on their lives that carry over to the job. They have a terrible marriage, they’re experiencing financial problems, they’re stressed as single parents trying to raise children, or they may have an addiction problem. But if that vast majority of your employees feel they have low morale and are unhappy, you may be contributing to or causing the problem.

Merriam-Webster defines morale as The mental and emotional condition (as of enthusiasm, confidence or loyalty) of an individual or group with regard to the function or tasks at hand. A sense of common purpose with respect to a group.

I’ve had conversations with chiefs I’ve worked for where I’ve tried to be honest and tell them there was a problem. Their response was to usually remain in denial and stick their head in the sand. I’ve heard them scoff that there is no way to objectively measure morale, so it’s impossible to say there’s low morale. But there is a way to tell: If you have excessive sick leave in your organization, you may have low morale. Another warning sign is if your human resources office looks like a revolving door, with people coming and going—your employees only stay a little while and then go off and find something better. The number of people on disability or light duty is also an indicator. Employees who are happy and enjoy what they’re doing will stick out the little bumps and bruises they experience instead of claiming something like a twinge in their back and taking off a week or more with muscle relaxers.

Usually EMS organizations fall into three categories: 1) You can pay well and have problems in the organization, and the employees will generally stay; 2) You can pay little but have a good organization, and the employees will generally stay; 3) But if you pay them little and have a terrible organization, your HR director probably needs a new copy machine every year for all the paperwork involved in employees leaving and being replaced.

The main causes of low morale include poor leadership, employees who are unhappy in their positions, no clear expectations for employees, and employees influencing others with negative rhetoric. All of those can be controlled or influenced by you as the EMS manager.

If you think you are going to throw a pizza party and invite all your employees so you can show your appreciation, don’t be shocked if that does not fix it.

Morale is an emotional issue that constantly needs to be dealt with. You need to connect with your employees. Listen to them. Understand their problems. Ask them for solutions. People who work in EMS are generally pretty smart and may well have a solution you’ve not thought of. If anything, you are giving them ownership.

Recognize those employees who do an outstanding job and contribute. Everyone wants to be told they make a difference.

Lastly, if you have problems in the system that are causing low morale, you need to fix them. You may have to deal with employees who are bringing the organization down. Bad employees can tremendously impact morale in any organization. If necessary, make sure you use progressive discipline to correct such behaviors.

Being an EMT or paramedic can be stressful under any conditions. Creating more stress on your employees by how you manage your EMS system is unnecessary and destructive to the morale of employees who only want to make a difference and be productive.

Gary Ludwig, MS, EMT-P, is chief of the Champaign (IL) Fire Department. He is a well-known author and lecturer who has managed award-winning metropolitan fire-based EMS systems in St. Louis and Memphis. He has a total of 37 years of fire and EMS experience and has been a paramedic for over 35 years. Contact him at garyludwig.com.