One of the lesser known but essential skills required when dealing with both compliance and HR issues is the management of change. It is important to remember that change in the workplace is difficult for most people; by understanding how to support your teams through the process you will better succeed in the business developments you are trying to make.
This week’s Top Five Tips look at Managing Change in the Workplace….
1) Planning your Change – this isn’t a luxury afforded to every change within the business; many changes are last minute and often dictated by outside influences, however, if it’s a change that you are introducing, maybe to a job role, or an operational process, you will benefit by carefully planning those changes. Work out the date you need the changes to be ‘live’, working backward from that point, understand what the timeframes and trigger points are, and give yourself 25% leeway wherever possible! Consider who, what, where and when the impact of the changes will be felt.
2) Timescales – the key for effective planning of changes is knowing the key or important trigger points or dates for when things need to happen. A good way to manage this is to map out a timeline detailing what needs to happen and when.
3) Communication – once you know your timelines it is never too early to start communicating your intentions around the changes you want to make. It is really important before you do this that you are certain the changes are going ahead. For example, with employee job role changes, letting them know what you are thinking, consulting and involving them in the development of changes to the job role is a very constructive approach. A change such as an office move should be initially communicated softly, without ultimatums or firm decisions, allowing engagement from those affected or involved.
4) Engage – generally speaking, people don’t like to be told what to do all the time. By engaging the staff and team members affected, seeking their opinion or even their feedback as to how the changes could be better implemented, is a very positive step. People like to feel they have an element of control over significant changes in life and engaging effectively helps to do this. Do not dismiss their views without giving an appropriate level of consideration to their contributions.
5) Evaluating the success – we can’t all be experts at everything we do, so it is always important to evaluate the effectiveness of the changes being made to be sure they are achieving the intended outcomes or goals. Don’t be scared to evaluate what you have done to see if works, and if it doesn’t, learn and move on, but do not be afraid to admit any mistakes and revert to previous arrangements if that is appropriate.
We hope you found this useful but if you would like any more information on Managing Change in the Workplace, or any other area of HR policy, procedure and support for small businesses, please get in touch.
01303 297034 / 07795 564089
HR & COMPLIANCE DOESN’T HAVE TO BE ROCKET SCIENCE
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