Organizational stressors were found to have significantly impacted staff morale, employee satisfaction, and retention across industries. In law enforcement and corrections where job duties are demanding and stressful, to say the least, the same trend emerged. Discussing ways to improve staff morale in these specific settings is John Shuford.
John is the President of Collaborative Resolution Services. Their innovative staff development training has resulted in notable improvement in work culture and staff morale in state and local corrections and law enforcement entities.
Specifics discussed in this presentation include:
- Facts and figures that demonstrate the impact of low staff morale on the employees’ health and wellness, as well as the leaders and the organization.
- The factors to take into account to improve morale in terms of their psychological needs and source of motivation.
- The 15 ways to improve staff morale at no cost.
- Regular organizational dialogue meetings to foster trust, respect, connection, positive relationships, and effective problem-solving.
- Eliminating micromanagement and looking at the reasons why supervisors micromanage and the characteristics of one.
- Incorporating mission/vision statements in correctional staff that prioritize staff well-being alongside care, custody, control, and community safety.
- Training on emotional intelligence skills, its pillars, and its benefits to the staff and organization.
- Making staff training a priority by increasing the budget and extending the time allocated to give staff the tools they need.
- Revising the promotion procedures such that service, honesty, integrity, humility, purpose, and positivity serve as the criteria instead of favoritism or seniority.
- Seeking staff input for policy changes to empower and motivate them and make better decisions and get better buy-in.
- Recognizing staff in ways that are meaningful to them and asking them for suggestions and feedback.
- Implementing a mentor program to facilitate the passing down of desired qualities on to younger staff.
- Establishing accountability and feedback mechanisms that include the administration.
- Encouraging social connections outside of work through sponsored social or family events, sports, and activities to build camaraderie.
- Emphasizing rehabilitation and community policing to increase job meaning, improve community relations, and boost morale, motivation, and self-esteem.
- Focusing on recruitment by utilizing current staff as agency recruiters and identifying desired criteria of ideal employees.
- Promoting personal resilience skills in what we do and how we think to combat isolation.
- Seek outside input from up-to-date research and information to benefit from broader knowledge.
- A rundown of the supervisor skills to train on to overcome micromanagement.
- The four types of work cultures, how they tend to be prioritized in corrections, and the recommendation distribution to improve the task.
- How supervisors must respond to new ideas from staff to boost staff morale.
- How staff retention through staff morale is central in addressing the staff crisis.
Questions from the webinar attendees are about:
- Managing staff expectations regarding input they provided on specific topics or decisions.
- Balancing time and effort spent on innovation with the required tasks.
- Growth opportunities to provide staff.
- Encouraging staff to speak up more with their ideas and concerns.
- Improving the morale of management.
- How John’s training can be used in professions outside of the criminal justice system.
Other Webinars with this Speaker
- May 11: Seven Keys to Personal Resilience and Job Retention
- June 27: 15 Ways to Improve Staff Morale at No Additional Cost (this webinar)
Resources and Handouts
- Handout: Six Principles of Effective Leadership for Corrections Officers
- Handout: Micromanagement: The Enemy of Staff Morale
- Handout: Organizational Dialogue Meeting
- Book: Mid 21st Century Criminal Justice: Transforming the Work Culture by John Shuford
- Website Referenced: TeamCRS (articles listed at bottom of page.)
- Book Referenced: Leading Up: How to Lead Your Boss so You Both Win by Michael Useem
Audience Comments
- “This was excellent! The speaker was very knowledgeable, and I am motivated to take what I learned back to my team.” — Channel
- “New ideas about organization improvement. Great speaker!!!” — John
- “There were many great nuggets of information in this presentation. Great training! Thanks!” — D’Ann
- “Great information provided in relation to achieving and promoting better morale in an organization.” — Damon
- “I loved having the resources available before the presentation started. The presenter was well-informed on the topic.” — Doug
- “I think this was a very good topic I would enjoy learning more and hearing what other thoughts and ideas people have. The information on employee retention was really good and thinking outside the box.” — Ashley
- “EVERYTHING!! Morale is a big problem in our department; however, I can only start with my immediate staff! Thank you for the awesome presentation.” — Lori
- “I think the 15 ways to improve morale at no cost was very helpful; I am intending on bringing some of the ideas up to my chief to implement at my department.” — Samantha
- “Ideas gained on how to keep staff motivated and engaged. I had not thought about how some of these things could be used for those purposes.” — Sherie
This webinar is part of the JCH Summer School Program. From June 1-August 31, 2023, attendees will receive a certificate of attendance via email about one hour after the conclusion of a webinar.
Want to join us for other Summer School webinars? Check out our Summer School Calendar and register today!
The American Jail Association (AJA) is a national, nonprofit organization that supports the professionals who operate our Nation’s jails. It is the only national association that focuses exclusively on issues specific to the operations of local correctional facilities. The driving force behind the phenomenal growth of AJA is its members. AJA has taken a leadership role in developing the type of programs that promote the professional growth of the dedicated men and women who operate our Nation’s jails. Jail staff have the responsibility for the management of people who have been charged with violating our laws and often mock the ideals on which AJA was founded. Jail personnel find themselves sorely tested each day in the jail environment when they receive scorn and derision for their loyalty and perseverance under extremely trying circumstances. AJA takes this opportunity to salute the jail staff of the Nation who, by their dedication to the difficult task of local corrections, have made a vital, positive difference to the welfare of the communities they serve. Click here to learn more about AJA.
