Ch Ch Ch Ch Changes… how to manage organisational change effectively for your employees
Change can be a good thing, especially in business it can be the catalyst for growth, cultural shift and much more and as a leader or business owner it can be hugely exciting but it doesn’t always feel like that for the employees involved - and that’s the critical part, if the people it affects aren’t bought into or informed about the change then it’s going to be a whole lot harder to make it a success.
It’s an area where HR should be leading from the front and doing what it does best, looking after the humans in the business.
Here’s how to get it right first time.
Communicate and do it early
There is nothing worse than finding out about huge change at your place of work and feeling that this has been a ‘thing’ for a while and you just didn’t know. Too many times we see changes communicated very late into the process giving employees no time to adjust.
Communicating early helps employees understand the reasons for change and what to expect as the whole company moves through the process with communication at every stage. People like clarity especially when it comes to what their working lives will look like - don’t underestimate the power of communicating early and then regularly, your employees will thank you for it, even if the news isn’t always positive for everyone.
Get the employee engagement you need
This goes beyond just communicating what is happening by actively including your team in what might happen and why. There are many reasons why a business decides to embark on significant change and most leadership teams won’t enter into this sort of process without a considerable amount of thought and consideration, but it doesn’t have to stop there. Create diversity of thought by consulting your teams on potential changes, this will also allow you to assess the potential real impact and not view any changes through rose tinted glasses.
Expect Resistance
People are fantastic at adapting to change but that doesn’t mean they have to like it. You can support your employees through change by expecting resistance before it happens and having a plan in place to handle it. Create forums for feedback, set up meetings either one to one or in groups and make it crystal clear that whilst organisational change may be happening you understand their concerns and are ready to hear them and try to alleviate them if that is possible.
Understand the real impact on wellbeing
As part of the the leadership team or even owner of the business you are aware of the changes ahead and have become comfortable with what that means for you personally and the business as a whole. Imagine now you are one of your employees and you have just learned that the business is being acquired, a merger is happening or redundancies are being made - your mind would instantly go into overdrive and that doesn’t necessarily stop when the first questions have been answered.
Whether organisational change is a quick process or a lengthy one you must consider the wellbeing and mental health of your employees throughout, anxiety levels will be high and left unsupported productivity levels will be low as a result. Before you communicate any decisions make sure you have a support framework in place to help your employees adjust.
The job isn’t done when the changes have happened
In fact there’s still a long way to go and all of the advice above still stands, there’s a reason that employees move on or disengage after significant changes and that’s because once the change has happened they can feel abandoned or left to get on with it in a completely new infrastructure, team or setting.
We spend a lot of time at work, whether physically at an office, hybrid or working from home, it’s a significant part of every week and to live with uncertainty or lack of support for any of that is challenging. Most employees will wear it for a while, particularly loyal ones but eventually they will vote with their feet.
Lead with empathy, reinforce change with continuous support and guidance. Basically put the H in human resources and you’re on the right track.