Supporting Change by Blowing Off the Dust

Employees have had a rough time over the past year or so. Many are now wallowing in the dust of employees who have been downsized, and they are living in fear of experiencing downsizing themselves or trying to do more while they already feel overworked. Many have watched their benefits and retirement savings dwindle. At the same time, they may be seeing their opportunities for promotions, raises or new training waste away. When the economy recovers, some experts indicate that employee dissatisfaction --- and even anger --- will remain.

Human resources professionals know that "survivor syndrome" occurs after downsizing or rightsizing. Employees who remain after a layoff often quit their jobs, and retention becomes more difficult for the organization. This can become a dire situation because retaining employees at that point is critical to the business. Remaining competitive is difficult when human capital is crippled.

Changing Business and Employee Discontent

In "Fast Forward: 25 Trends That Will Change the Way You Do Business," Workforce.com says, "Employers who ignore workplace discontent run the risk of periodic productivity slumps as skilled staffers depart for higher-paying positions whenever the labor market surges. Smart companies that make employees feel valued will gain a crucial competitive advantage."

Training is one way organizations can make employees feel valued. Training your supervisors to manage their teams can enable them to help their workers combat the malaise that often accompanies tough times like these.

A few years ago, one CIGNA change agent said, "In any change effort, the real work comes in closing the gap between where you are and where you want to be." Training your supervisors to understand why change is occurring in the organization and how to help their team members cope can, in turn, help close the gap and advance organizations to where they want to be. With the training approach, barriers are reduced, workers become engaged and momentum picks up.

Embarking on Change Management

Organizations that are about to embark on change management will do so with a plan for engagement. This plan involves identifying important stakeholders, and recognizing that your employees are important stakeholders is the one of the first steps. Too often, leadership fails to devote time and resources to training, regardless of how limited. This is one of the controllable aspects of change and can lead to a higher success rate in closing the gap between where the organization is today and where it should be.

Vital Learning's Supporting Change seminar provides the tools managers need to understand and interpret change within the organization so they can more successfully communicate change to their team members. When team leaders work through change by involving team members, employees understand and own the change as well as the benefits to come. This approach generates excitement and anticipation of good things to come, and employees begin to see how the organization's investment in them is a part of the change process. This encourages them to contribute and reinforce their personal goals. Thus, employees are more likely to stay at the organization, they become more productive and they offer creative solutions for current issues.

Putting the Pieces Back Together and Blowing Off the Dust

Legendary racecar driver, Dale Earnhardt once said, "I've had confidence in myself all along. It was just a matter of getting the pieces back in place."

It's not rocket science or even racecar science that tells us we need to help employees blow off the dust left in the wake of the economic downturn. Train them, invest in them and encourage them to support change; this will sustain your organization during these difficult times and close the gap between where you are and where you want to be.