According to a recent study, eighty-three percent of all UK employees feel that people at their workplace or organisation are not heard equally or fairly.
Change is inevitable, whether it’s a new direction for the company, a restructuring of teams, or a shift in operations. However, communicating these changes to your employees can be a challenging task.
This is why it is essential to know how to ensure your employees feel heard when communicating about organisational change.
To simplify things, we’ve compiled a guide that breaks down what you need to know about the organisational change process. Keep reading to find out more.
Be clear and honest
Being clear and honest when communicating change will help to build trust between you and your team. This is because your workers will be more likely to have faith in the leadership and feel valued as part of the organisation.
Also, transparent and honest communication can reduce anxiety and uncertainty among employees. If people are left to speculate about what changes might be coming, they can become worried or fearful.
On the other hand, if you can provide a clear, honest announcement of what’s happening, you can reduce confusion and make the transition smoother for everyone involved.
To communicate changes clearly and honestly, consider scheduling a staff meeting to make the announcement. This is an opportunity to speak directly to your team.
This is also an ideal time for answering questions and explaining the reasons behind the change. When preparing for the announcement, be sure to plan out what you want to say in advance.
Practice your delivery and be ready to address any concerns or objections.
It’s essential to be transparent and provide as much detail as possible about the changes happening, why they’re happening, and how they will impact the company and its employees.
Let employees know how they will benefit
When communicating workplace change, remember that your employees want to know how it will affect them personally.
They may be feeling anxious or worried about potential organisational pain. They might expect job losses, increased workload, or a change in job responsibilities.
By addressing these concerns head-on and providing a clear explanation of the benefits of the change, you can help ease their fears and gain support.
One way to do this is by highlighting how the change will improve workplace balance.
For example, if the change involves a company culture or values shift, you can discuss how this will create a more supportive work environment.
Set the expectations
If you effectively set expectations, ensuring everyone is on the same page will be easier. This will also minimise confusion and help your employees feel more prepared for the change.
To do this effectively, you can hold a staff meeting to communicate the change and answer any questions your employees may have.
During the meeting, you should explain what the change will involve. It will also be helpful to break down what the timeline will look like.
Try your best to be transparent and honest about any challenges that might arise. This helps build trust and foster open communication.
Be team-focused
Being team-focused means thinking about how the change will impact your team. You should avoid focusing on individual concerns.
By doing this, you will create a sense of unity and collaboration. This can make the transition smoother and less stressful for everyone.
It would be best to involve your employees in planning and ask for their input.
Make sure to provide opportunities for collaboration. This might include organising team-building activities or doing regular check-ins.
It’s important to remember that everyone is in this together and that you can achieve great things by working as a team.
Top tip
Use StrengthscopeTeam™ to build more diverse, empowered, resilient, and agile teams going through change.
The report assesses and describes the team’s current behaviour and where this can be enhanced, to help build a strong and sustainable team culture. Our tools focus on team’s strengths, performance risks, potential gaps, and the productive behaviours needed to help build a strong and sustainable team culture.
Tell a powerful story
You will create a narrative that your employees can follow by telling a powerful story about change in your organisation. This means that the change will feel more relatable and understandable.
To tell a story, start by explaining the reason behind the change and how it will impact the organisation.
This will help your employees understand the bigger picture. Therefore, they will feel more invested in the outcome. You can also provide examples of how the change has benefited other organisations.
It’s essential to use clear and concise language. Avoid using technical jargon or confusing terms. You can use metaphors or analogies to help explain the change in a way your employees can relate to.
For example, if the change involves implementing new technology, you can compare it to upgrading to a new smartphone or computer.
You can explain how the new technology will make their jobs more accessible, save time, and increase productivity.
And if the change involves implementing new training programs, you can explain that these programs will help your workers to expand their skill sets.
Communicating that organisational change is coming
If you are in the middle of implementing organisational change, it is essential to know how to tell your employees.
When you’re talking about change to your employees, make sure to be clear and honest. It is also helpful to explain how they will benefit and how to be team-focused.
Are you looking for a way to improve your workplace communications?
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