Hi welcome to my blog on corporate morale. Did you know that there is a specific metric for feeling positive at work? It is a mathematical ratio. Researchers have determined that although there are complex biomedical ways to measure a person’s vagal tone, there is also an accurate “no tech” way of getting a general reading. Vagal tone is the degree of activity occurring within the parasympathetic nervous system (fight and flight), resulting in changes to the heart rate and increased breathing and other key changes. The vagus nerve, among many other things, inhibits the heart beat to keep the organ beating within a safe
range. When the vagal tone increases or decreases, a person will
experience changes in heart rate. It’s most healthy to have increased vagal tone which will slow your heart rate. Fluctuations in vagal tone may indicate rising or falling levels of stress. A healthy ratio for vagal tone is usually +2 to 7:-1, over +10:-1 is unbalanced, and if you’re +1:-2 to 5 then life is an enormous strain and you desperately need rest.
First, we need to explore how this index number is achieved. It can be determined with careful self-report. A person needs to take the last working shift and go over the shift in memory and tally each specific interaction or task that was done. Each one is scored either positive or negative. If the memory is neutral it is not scored. Then do the scoring
once more in the middle of a shift and at the end of a shift on another day. This way you will get the memory of what happened and also the person’s report of what happened closer to the moment. You will end up with a ratio of positive events or memories to negative experiences. For
example, a ratio of +78:-51 translates into a ratio of +1.53: -1. This is a low ratio and suggests that this person needs more positive affirmation and experiences. The “sweet spot” for corporate exchanges is between +2 or +3 or +4: -1. This ratio allows work to be productive and people to be focused on their job yet positive and morale to be people building.
When the ratio drops beneath +2:-1, it is a sign that the corporate morale needs attention. When the ratio drops beneath +1:-1 the experience of most workers will be negative and morale will undermine the company’s
profitability. Second, you will need ratios from a few different workers on at least two different days in each of your company’s areas. It would be best to get
everyone to do this exercise and report their ratios anonymously. The numbers would be averaged to give you a sense of what the average is for managers and workers in each area. Just a little effort can yield a revealing index for leader to track and compare as they forge ahead in business.
I hope you learned something new and helpful. This content is for
educational purposes only not medical advice.
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