by Barbara Guess

Created on: March 10, 2010

Why is it that staff view any changes with dislike? Is it because most changes are introduced to improve business efficiency, in other words getting more from your staff without increased costs. Or is it because learning new skills means the application of more effort on their part, less downtime and perhaps more close control and scrutiny from the management. So what approach needs to be adopted to keep the change process staff friendly and relieve the stress before it has the chance to develop?

First, be aware that any change will be met with some level of opposition. Members of staff like to know and feel comfortable in the role they are filling. Each day when they arrive for work they have a fairly good idea of how their day will proceed and any suggestion that you are about to change this will cause apprehension and hostility. In the present economic situation, where every company is trying to cut back any unnecessary costs to ensure survival the whisper of change on the work floor will immediately sound warning bells of job losses, cut backs and the growing unemployment figures.

Consider carefully why the change is necessary and gather as much information as you can of what it entails, paying special attention to the people that will be affected the most. Note must be made of training needs, equipment, hours of work and most importantly any negative change to staff take home pay. People go to work to earn money and their standard of living is geared to their pay check, so be prepared for problems if your staff has been able to enhance their money by doing overtime and now you intend to reduce overtime availability.

There must be positive reasons for the change and these are the points that need to be advertised clearly to the staff to sweeten any negative issues. You're a salesperson, selling the changes and you want the staff talking about them and getting involved, to the point of taking ownership of the change process.

Let your staff know as soon as possible that changes have to be made and don't let the office grapevine spread the word first, with all the negative guessing about hidden agendas. Call a meeting and tell them all the information you have and who it will affect. Try to include why the change is necessary and if its because the company is making losses show them the figures.

Get the staff involved in the change. Ask their advice about issues that concern them. Tell them exactly what you have to achieve and what you have planned. They are doing these jobs and are probably in the best position to know how to adapt them and will maybe offer to voluntarily increase their work load if it means keeping the company afloat.

Open communication is the key, not just from management to staff, but also from staff to management. If the change includes job losses then the sooner the staff are aware of this the better. Any staff questions raised at meetings that can not be answered must be logged and the answers researched and communicated back.

Draw up a change calendar, with implementation dates, but be realistic because once the staff are on board any delays or postponements will not be well met.

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