How to Help Employees Through Periods of Intense Change

Periods of intense change can be difficult for everyone involved in business. From the people at the very top of management, to the newest employee on the shop floor, change can mean not knowing what the future has in store, and this is a big worry for people.

Helping employees through these periods is an important job for any business. Not only do businesses need to continue to function through the transition, but there will come a time when the transitional period ends, and you need to be ready to go when that does happen.

Engage

When your business is going through a transitional phase, it’s important to engage with your employees and understand how it affects them. There are some great tools out there from companies like inpulse.com that allow you to find out your employees’ thoughts and use them to inform your actions.

No matter how bigger change your company is going through, you need your employees to feel happy in their environment so they can continue to give you their best work.

Demonstrate Concern

It’s no use engaging with employees just for show, you’ve got to demonstrate that you actually care about their concerns. Many businesses attempt to engage their employees, but they do it in such an impersonal way that it doesn’t come across as genuine.

The best companies will help their employees through periods of big change by showing that they truly care about how these changes affect them. It might take a little bit more effort, but it will help stabilize your company through this period.

Train/ Prepare

Give people the tools they need to come out of this period of change stronger. You might be going through a big transition period, but you’ll be surprised at how adaptable your employees can be if you give them the right training.

You’ve got dedicated employees who you know work hard for you, so if you can train them up for the new realities of your business, it can be much easier than going out and trying to find new staff with whom you have no prior relationship.

Fix Problems

One of the ways you can demonstrate concern is by making changes that are going to improve your employees’ lives through this transition. They don’t need to be huge problems that you fix; you just need to demonstrate that you’re doing your best to help people through this transition.

If it’s something you have the power to change, and it’s something the vast majority of your employees are asking for, then make efforts to enact it. You may find when you engage with your employees, they have some very good ideas that can improve the business.

Positivity

Staying positive and upbeat has an amazing effect on your team. You might be going through a difficult transition period, but if you can stay positive and keep an eye on the future, then you’re going to be in a stronger position when things settle down.

Of course, you have to balance this with being honest and responsible, but a positive message goes a long way to helping people through difficult situations.