Salary freezes, employee layoffs and greater health-care costs count among the obvious reasons for low morale in many workplaces.
Combine those forces with the stress of figuring out how to pay the mortgage or college tuition, and many employees end up seriously disengaged from work.
A report by Aflac, the insurance underwriter known best for the duck featured in its advertising, said that 42 percent of employees at small businesses were coping with a financial crisis and that 38 percent had experienced significant issues that affect how well they do their work.
