to bring this topic back on track i would have to say morale does affect claims insofar as it predicates a willingness to "do the right thing" when a choice is available. however, the reverse is also true in that a persons morale doesnt play that big of a part in the whole scheme of things but their integrity to their fellow worker and employer do.
in my opinion, what the real problem is, whether it comes to damages or "screwing" your customer or fellow driver is ones ability to do their job regardless of personal morale. what that means is no matter how much you may hate your job, life or fellow worker you do your job the way that it is expected to be done each and every day.
to put this in perspective i would like to touch on the voices survey. the results were less than stellar as i hope we can all agree. conway has comitted to try to change the perceptions of employees with more communication and direction. while i applaud this effort and self realization i am concerned that this avenue may be the wrong way to go. too many drivers, at least at my terminal want nothing to do with any voices and values team events or ideas, at least at my terminal. but considering the survey results i would guess that more terminals are like this than not.
the company, as a whole, would get more mileage and results from training, training, training. but...not just training, but having expectations based on the training and manageing those expectations through communication and direction. programs like ICE, which did wonders for claims when first introduced should be constantly reinforced and updated and reintroduced frequently, not just at hire or in the event of a haz-mat spill. smith training anyone? while we may roll our eyes that training has helped alot of drivers become more safety concious on the road. unfortunately trainings like this define us as a company, and the lack of them puts us in the same category as every other ltl.
egagement may be the buzzword right now in terms of the voices survey, but i think it misses its mark. a word more fitting with the continual training and communication that this company so desperately needs would be Reinvestment. reinvest time and energy into a workforces developement and progression of skills to give them the confidence, security, and tools to do the job right the first time.