Before the problem of morale can be tackled, a couple ofground rules need to be understood. There are no easy fixesor blanket solutions. Morale isn't like a buggy softwareprogramthere are no service packs or patches. It can't befixed in one day or one week, and it won't be solved bypizza parties, free mugs, or wacky Hawaiian shirt day.

What you need to understand about morale is this: Themood of your employees can be brought down by externalfactors, such as the state of the economy, but it is yourleadership skillsor lack thereofthat will tip the moralescales one way or the other. In tough times such as these,the people you are responsible for are looking for support,leadership and reassurance. If you ignore or underestimatethat need, you'll have a morale problem on your hands. "Lackof communication and bad management, or lack of confidencein management, are the two biggest causes of low morale,"says Rick Chapman, CIO and chief administrative officer atKindred Healthcare in Louisville, Ky. "It doesn't matterwhat the economy is like."

The first step toward fixing bad morale is acknowledgingthat the problem exists. The second step is realizing thatit's your responsibility to make it better. While morale mayseem like the domain of HR, that's a cop-out, says David VanDe Voort, a principal consultant and leader of the ITworkforce effectiveness group at Mercer.

"The CIO is the head of a community, a family ofprofessionals," he says. "No competent CIO would leavemorale for HR to deal with. The CIO has to be the one whosets the tone and defines the IT culture in anyorganization."

While CIOs should not relegate responsibility for moraleto HR, you can and should lean on HR for help. Having an HRrepresentative participate in meetings can help makeemployees feel cared for by the company. The HR rep is alsoanother person an employee can talk to. No matter how openyour culture, employees aren't always comfortable talking tothe CIO, and that means they may not tell the whole truthabout how they feel if they do talk to you.