I have had no- zero communication from the university librarian all summer. I do not hear one peep from her about anything. And I’m arguing my case, you know, I then don’t hear back from the dean of academic affairs. … I hear nothing, I hear nothing. I mean, can you imagine going into work every single day not knowing what’s going to happen to you? With absolutely no communication from, you know, anybody about anything? – Female acquisitions librarian (Participant, Academic Librarian Low-Morale Experience study)
I came in the Tuesday before [a holiday], and [my boss] had given everybody the day off except for me. She told everybody to take the day off except for me. I didn’t even have keys yet… And so I had to call security to open the library for me. And I was the only one there, and she called in and she said, ‘oh didn’t I tell you? You’re the only one working today.’ And I said, ‘well, do I need to call security to lock up?’ ‘cause I don’t have keys yet, because I wasn’t a permanent employee, so I didn’t get keys…So she said, she said that she would come by and lock up. Well she never came by, so I had to call security again, and then after [the holiday] I got in trouble for calling security and bothering them. I got yelled at. – Female public services librarian (Participant, Academic Librarian Low-Morale Experience study)
So now I’m back into [another specialization], and it feels so great to be doing this again…So you have so much more of an appreciation for the new position. And you know, it almost reinvigorates your passion for what you’re doing. But you’re still kind of reluctant to really speak up and say, ‘Well, I think maybe, you know…’ And it’s not even necessarily anything that’s consequential or controversial. Maybe you’ll say, ‘Well, I think compact shelving might be too expensive for the situation.’ I mean, even just saying something like that, I kind of am very reserved and don’t say it – and I’m in charge of the budget! (laughs). You know, it’s kind of like I should be saying it. You know it – you just – you’re almost less likely to speak up. – Female instruction librarian (Participant, Leaving the Low-Morale Experience study)
Long term, going forward into other positions, I think [my experience] probably has made me less trusting of direct reports. And less personal at the onset of those relationships. It takes me a little bit more time to be personal with people at work than it used to….And I’m less trusting more on a personal level, like, I don’t – I think because of those experiences that I had with racism and sexism, I don’t share as much of my personal life as I used to, until I get to know employees better. And before I was much more immediately personable, and that’s how I would build rapport with direct reports. And now I build up to that slower. – Female library director (Participant, Formal Library Leader Low-Morale Experience study)
Uncertainty & Mistrust is one of the most pervasive Impact Factors that show up in low-morale experiences. From the qualitative data above, you see the factor appears within different study cohorts – from my original study in 2017 to my most recent one from 2023, focusing on formal leaders. In my earlier studies, Uncertainty & Mistrust was classed as an Enabling System (a subset of Impact Factors), and in 2023, I moved it to the broader Impact Factor class because of its persistent fluidity in remaining even after a person leaves a low-morale experience (Kendrick 2021) and because it shows up at all levels of job status (e.g., formal leaders).
In low-morale experiences, Uncertainty and Mistrust shows up as direct result of abusive acts (including neglect) towards the victim. It results in behaviors of self-isolation/retreat, increased vigilance or appeasement/avoidance of abusers, and deauthentication behavior as people decide to leave core parts of their identity behind when they come to work. From the data above, it’s clear that this impact factor also slows down clear and effective communication as people self-censor their thoughts or grapple with vocalizing common workplace concerns – even when it is within their purview to do so. These actions could ultimately move into questions of ethics, as the instruction librarian below noted in our interview:
You know, it- you just – you’re almost less likely to speak up. I don’t know that that’s a good thing. I think that’s a really bad thing, for the profession too. Because, you know, our whole goal is to, to work, to help our patrons. When you’re less willing to speak up about, for instance, ‘I think that this might be a better approach for our discovery service.’ And you just stay quiet. Am I really fulfilling my, my code of ethics or my organization? Um, or for my profession I should say.
Uncertainty & Mistrust doesn’t only impact the culture of the company site where the original low-morale experience took place. When a low-morale victim comes to a new position in another workplace, hypervigilance behaviors, lowered professional confidence, and skepticism of the new organization and employees may slow down onboarding, organizational acclimation, training and collaboration efforts, and other processes.
How has Uncertainty & Mistrust oxidized your performance or outlook – either at the workplace where you experienced low morale, or in a new position? If you’ve worked with others who have faced low-morale experiences at previous workplaces, how did it corrode your organization?
If you are concerned that your past experiences are impacting your new position, or if you want to ensure, create, or improve smooth transitions for your recruitment, onboarding, and retention goals – and support people who may have dealt with low morale before joining your team – let’s talk!
Works Cited
Kendrick, K.D. (2017). The low morale experience of academic librarians: A phenomenological study. Journal of Library Administration, 57(8): 846-878
Kendrick, K.D. (2021). Leaving the low-morale experience: A qualitative study. Alki, 37(2): 9 – 24.
Kendrick, K.D. (2023). The cornered office: A qualitative study of low-morale experiences in formal library leaders. Journal of Library Administration, 63(3): 307-338.
