The economy — not to mention the current situation in the country — is literally making it harder for American workers to be happy. If the job market had a status page, it would probably read: degraded performance, not an outage. New figures reveal just 47% are confident about the future in employment, down from last January’s figure of 61%. And even worse: almost half of workers say the current economic environment has worsened their mental health.
For companies like ours—innovative digital health and health IT consulting firms— these stats present a challenge on one hand, as well as an opportunity. When employees are concerned about losing their job, the reverberations go beyond stress alone, like how a little misconfiguration resonates across an IT environment. Businesses are left to deal with lack of productivity, high staff turnover rates and burnt-out employees who have been forced to take on extra responsibilities.
So, how do we sail these troubled times and waters: by looking the other way as if uncertainty doesn’t exist, or with well-placed initiatives aimed at addressing employer fear while empowering resilience and engagement? Ambiguity isn’t a platform bug that requires a hotfix; it’s a state of being we must manage with clarity and consistency. These are the best ways to keep up and lift employee morale during economic uncertainty.
Embrace Radical Transparency in Communication
Contemporary corporate communication often fails in uncertain days. Merely saying “these are difficult times” does not do anybody any good unless there is something to ground that message on. Good leadership includes clear communication on what is changing in the organization, along with what is not changing and what we don’t know about the future as economic realities continue to shift. Consider it as a set of business “release notes” that workers can rely on.
These are structured opportunities for real conversation and the more of it that you do, the bigger a blow-up you need to be afraid of. Create them by enacting “open door policies” so employees can share frustrations directly with leadership–really open doors, not just on paper. Having transparent conversations is one of the best avenues to quelling the most pervasive fears for employees: job security, financial uncertainty and organizational direction. Trust happens when employees see the logic and potential short- and long-term consequences of business decisions. Specific beats vague every time.
For a healthcare tech teams, it could start with sharing how financial pressures impact project timelines, client relationships or technology spend. Guess less; speculation is not a good project manager. Don’t let staff try to fill in the blanks on their own about budgets, instead ensure they understand a full scope of what comes into play when market conditions affect strategic decisions, while also, as appropriate, being careful to maintain confidentiality regarding proprietary business information.
Actively Manage Employees Issues By Solving Them Together
Leaders should demonstrate “empathy” by listening to employees’ fears about the economy, which shows you value their perspective on what is happening in the world today. But simple acknowledgment is not enough to effectively boost morale. Empathy is just the starting line, not the finish tape. The most powerful approach is to involve employees in designing solutions to mutual problems.
Consider creating cross-functional task forces to address specific challenges toward better work-life balance, benefits improvements or career-building activities. Adding employees to the solutioning process themselves makes them build up their morale as they feel heard, valued and empowered to mold the workplace’s desired state. When people have a hand in creating the playbook, they are more likely to run the plays.
For GovCon IT consulting firms, folks might ask for advice on the best project management methodology to use, how to effectively communicate with clients, or which technology stack is most appropriate. Some tweak in process today that pulls out some tiny, but repeated blocks to work tomorrow — compound interest for workflows. While these economic downturns can discourage workers from making the effort to enhance operations, those that do so get more job satisfaction and become more committed.
It’s Time to Tap Out the Benefits and Mental Health Resources
In times of economic instability, employees can overlook the support that’s available to help them manage their finances and keep on top of their mental wellbeing. Programs need to revive informational campaigns, akin to those used around open enrollment periods, reminding employees of financial advising and budgeting resources and other offerings meant to dull financial fears.
Increase the availability of mental health resources by bringing in webinars and programs from partners, frequently highlight EAP services and making it easier to search for in-network mental health providers. These resources are especially important when external economic strains add to normal job stress. Make it easy for people to get support — friction is for engineering, not care pathways.
The healthcare tech community has its own set of chronic stressors surrounding project timelines, client expectations and the ever-changing landscape of technology needs. Delivering focused mental health support to meet industry challenges is a sign that your business gets it and values your staff’s well-being. The message is straightforward: we see the load you are carrying.
Invest in Continued Education and Coaching
At uncertain times, programs like professional coaching and development play a dual role: they keep employees engaged and productive while sending a message that the organization is confident about their future value. Investing in leadership training, technical proficiency and career advancement is the best response to fears of professional obsolescence or career inertia—upgrading both a workforce’s “firmware” as well as its “user experience.”
Investment in staff development does not have to be costly. Implement peer mentoring programs, lunch-and-learn sessions or cross-training measures to capitalize on internal expertise resources that you already have. Peer mentoring is the espresso for knowledge transfer: small and strong. They offer growth opportunities and will further internal relationships, sharing of knowledge.
Even more than in other industries, it is especially important for healthcare IT professionals to keep up with new technologies, regulation and best practices within the industry during economic uncertain times.
Organizations that prioritize continuous learning leave themselves, and their businesses, in a position to thrive once the economy turns around. Skill-building today becomes time-to-value tomorrow.
Keep Work Schedule Flexible and Balance Work and Life
Flexibility is one of the cheapest motivators there is for organizations in tough economic times. It is the shock absorber that cushions the ride. Preserving or extending more flexible work hours is a way of acknowledging that employees are juggling personal and professional demands amid often unhealthy economic conditions.
Flexibility can be anything from remote work, flexible schedules, 4-10s or business casual that make day-to-day life more convenient. The investment in such policies is low, but the return is high if your staff members are parents that have to pay childcare costs or anyone trying to save money on commuting during a time when budgets may feel particularly stretched. For most, trading commute miles for project milestones is a deal that you’ll want to take.
Healthcare technology implementations are typically subject to wide-ranging degrees of workload intensity and client shifts. Flexible work arrangements that consider these natural rhythms and help ensure employee well-being are wins for both productivity and morale. Let calendars bend out to where work crests.
Roll out no-cost-but-high-return recognition programs
As pockets are pinched and traditional bonus structures get squeezed, recognition is arguably more important than ever in keeping up morale. Clapping is currency, and the return on investment is always a winner. And it doesn’t cost anything provided companies give timely recognition and frequent “atta-boys”, through systems set up for peer-to-peer recognition and celebrating publicly the accomplishments of employees as well as showing gratitude.
Create formal recognition programs for significant achievements, as well as incremental growth. In times of crisis, recognizing small wins is particularly significant as it helps maintain momentum and shows that contributions count whatever the economic climate. Visibility makes progress; momentum thrives on visibility.
Introduce new recognition angles relating to work: championing client implementation success stories, problem solving breakthroughs or team members who guide colleagues through complex technical challenges. Long live specificity over generic kudos. Recognition that is tailored to the industry makes more of an impact than generic forms of appreciation.
Develop a Strong Team Connection and Support Each Other
Building work cultures that are supportive and strong are especially important in challenging times. Promote team building activities and have a work buddy system in place where employees are there for each other during tough times. Buddy systems are for astronauts and analysts alike — you need a good co-pilot. These are the emotional support networks that enable workers to collectively manage stress, not in isolation.
Team building programs don’t have to be expensive. Virtual coffee chats, team-based problem-solving meetings and casual knowledge-sharing sessions all strengthen relationships and help meet business goals. To distributed IT teams, such technology-mediated social interaction becomes increasingly important to keeping the team spirit high. Choose quality conversations over calendar invites that pile up.
See if you can find ways to arrange opportunities for team members to work with other cross-projects, or cross-product team members across technology implementations. These conversations expand horizons, form in-house networks and establish a common understanding of the capabilities as well as challenges of their organization. Think of it as public open source, but for your organization.
Monitor Progress and Adjust Strategies Continuously
Effective morale building requires ongoing assessment and refinement rather than one-time interventions. Treat morale like a vital sign—measure, trend, and act. Implement regular feedback mechanisms to measure whether implemented strategies achieve desired outcomes and identify emerging concerns that require attention.
Regular engagement check-ins enable continuous improvement and help leadership adjust approaches based on actual employee needs rather than assumptions. Early signals beat late surprises. Early recognition of declining morale through indicators such as increased absenteeism, schedule adherence issues, or performance variations allows for timely intervention.
For technology teams, project-based work creates natural opportunities for team retrospectives that can incorporate morale assessment alongside technical lessons learned. One agenda, two outcomes: better delivery and better morale. These dual-purpose sessions maximize meeting efficiency while maintaining focus on both business outcomes and employee well-being.
Be the Example With Authentic Leadership
Nothing influences a company’s culture — how people treat each other — during tough times more than the behavior of its leadership. Panic is catchy; so is calm. When Management is seen to be resilient, composed under pressure and truly care about staff well-being, such that the environment is a positive one in which to work, it helps entire organizations sustain momentum through difficult times.
Real leadership in ambiguity is to recognize the challenges and yet not lose belief in what your organization can do, and what your people are worth. Talk like a good pilot: acknowledge turbulence, brief the plan, and keep the cabin informed. This is a balancing act of being thoughtful in communication by not discrediting sincere concerns while not inducing more distress with pessimistic extremism.
The way forward is to NOT see employees as mere “human resources” but rather as whole individuals and encourage their understandable concerns of an uncertain economy. Transparent leadership with meaningful actions provides practical ways to weather these tough times. In sum: more listening, less guessing; more clarity, less noise. The comprehensive use of both strategies enables organizations to succeed during hard times and develop more robust and competitive teams, ready to take the lead when market conditions migrate for the better.
Through applying these data-supported practices, engineering and IT consulting companies can continue to keep morale high amongst employees while the economy remains unsettled — and set themselves up for a competitive advantage as market conditions normalize. Teams that do these things in unstable markets will be well placed to move quickly to the very top.
