Earlier this month I offered a keynote at the 2023 MOSS Meetup, hosted by the Idaho Commission for Libraries. The meetup is designed for library workers from Idaho’s colleges and universities to come together to discuss challenges, share solutions, and take those solutions back to their workplaces. This year’s specific theme was “Equality of access to recorded knowledge and information,’ and I offered one of two keynotes for the two-day meeting.
Before and during the event, I gathered attendee data about low-morale experiences and related perspectives. Here is a selection of that data.
Low-morale experiences
- 73% of respondents have experienced low morale as defined by Kendrick (“the result of repeated, protracted exposure to emotional, verbal/written, and systemic abuse or negligence in the workplace.)
- TIE: 28% have experienced low-morale for three months of fewer or for more than three years
- 34% experienced negligence
- TIE: 20% Perpetrators were library administrators or library supervisors/managers
- Top feelings experienced: Frustration (13%), Disillusion (11%) and Anger (10%)
- 18% have noticed a decrease in professional engagement as a result of their low-morale experience. Other behaviors noticed include:
- “A desire to get a job at a different library.”
- “An increase in talking to people about what is happening to get their take…”
- Mental health diagnoses from low morale include:
- “High anxiety and depression”
- “…Over the last few years, I dread going to work and interacting with people. On the weekends, I want to stay home.”
- Other things people shared about their experience in general:
- “I still have to work with the folks who contributed to my experience. Things need to change. Folks need to learn how what they are doing harms folks of color and in the LGBTQIA+ community. I recommend that library admins read up on the Spiritual Organization of Higher Ed (sic) (Manning).”
- “It occurred while I was still a student and working in a library, and it really reinforced how powerless I and my coworkers were since we weren’t staff or faculty.”
- “Thankfully, I am no longer working at that library so my low-morale experience is mostly over (still experience occasional feelings of bitterness about certain things even though it has been three years since I worked there). Happily, I am now working at a wonderful library that I love.”
During the Keynote
I asked folks to share what they think of when they hear the phrase “low morale”:
And these are responses to the query, “share one word that reflects a core LIS value, belief, or practice that could create a low-morale experience:
Keynote Evaluation
As always, I requested feedback about the live keynote from the group. Commentary follows.
Share something you learned during the Keynote or a concept that was defined more clearly during the Presentation:
- “I learned what ambiguous loss is and now understand why I’m still thinking about and working through what happened to me at my last job more than a year later.”
- “I learned much more about what can influence morale in the workplace, and especially what can be considered abuse and how to recognize that abuse.”
If there was a concept that you wished were covered during the Keynote, please share it:
- “Abuse sometimes continues because folks are blamed and blame themselves for the abuse.” (I shared the following with the report: see more about Shame in the Low-Morale Experience and The Blame Flame)
Share how the information offered at this Keynote may impact your daily or long-term library practice:
- “This has really inspired me to look further into the behaviors that low morale may cause, and how to recognize when the people I work with are experiencing low morale so I can offer help. I also want to just learn more about this, it’s a really relevant topic to anyone working in libraries.”
If you have faced low morale, what are your immediate plans to continue your positive recovery (personally or at work)?
- “I’ll check the resources provided during the session and work specifically on recovery with my therapist.”
Thanks to the Idaho Commission for Libraries for inviting me to talk with 2023 MOSS Meetup attendees – it’s clear they found value in our conversation, and I enjoyed their engagement and participation.
Ready to bring value to your annual meeting, professional development/staff day, or retreat? Contact me for bookings!
