The still uncertain economy hasn't kept some workers from smiling a little more at the office. Four in 10 (42 percent) chief financial officers (CFOs) interviewed for anAccountempssurvey said employee morale has improved at least somewhat in the last 12 months.Fifty-three percentof respondents said the mood among their teams is unchanged from a year ago.

The survey was developed by Accountemps, the world's first and largest specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with more than 1,400 CFOs acrossthe United States.

CFOs were asked, "How has employee morale in your organization changed, if at all, from 12 months ago?"Their responses:

Significantly improved 8%

Somewhat improved 34%

No change 53%

Somewhat worsened 4%

Significantly worsened 1%

Companies have been taking steps to increase job satisfaction and boost employee motivation among teams that have been through a difficult few years," saidMax Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author ofMotivating Employees For Dummies® (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)."Businesses that recognize and address the concerns of staff members during the extended recovery can instill greater loyalty over the long term."

Messmer explained, "Managers play a key role in ensuring workers stay productive and do not become overburdened by providing the necessary resources, from technology to additional personnel."