The public sector suffers from vastly lower levels of workplace morale than the private or voluntary sectors, according to research conducted by Roffey Park management institute.
The research looked at how managers from different sectors viewed motivation and commitment within their organisations.
It found that nearly 40% of managers in the public sector believed morale was low in their organisation. This compared with 16% in the private sector and 6% in the not-for-profit sector.
Bureaucracy was identified by half of the respondents as the main problem. Poor management was rated second, with more than a third also indicating lack of recognition as a key factor.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
Co-author of the research Emma Stirling said: “Low morale can be a result of many factors, including lack of motivation, poor management and stress. As part of their role, it is important that leaders look at how they can boost morale and maintain a happy and productive workforce.”
n Morale in the NHS is at an all time low, the British Medical Association (BMA) has warned. Last week the government published figures showing the NHS was back in the black after a year of financial difficulties. But Jonathan Fielden, chairman of the BMA’s consultants committee, said morale, “the glue, the substance that has kept the NHS going”, had been thrown away by political meddling.
