An organization that is change-ready has aligned leadership and a strong change communications approach. Ensure that your company has a well-thought-out communications strategy in place to support your employees.
FREMONT, CA: Companies in every industry are undergoing significant business and strategic changes. These outcomes are influenced by factors such as digital transformation, digital-centric competition, M&A, the gig economy, and other diverse and dispersed workforce. Companies risk losing money and their talent if these change initiatives are not approached and implemented correctly.
People are the most critical factor in a company’s change management success: the people in charge of the changes and the workers who must accept them. As a result, the HR leadership of a company is a crucial component.
Here are four tips when implementing a communication strategy.
Explain the Change Management is Important
Change initiatives are usually aligned with business objectives, so make sure workers understand what those goals are. Make the reasons for change management plans and activities transparent to employees so they can better understand the company’s direction and why changes are occurring in the first place. Reiterate the message with your frontline managers, who are the most in touch with their employees and can demonstrate that all management levels are behind the change.
Take an Employee-Centric View
Take into account how your workers will be impacted. Employees will feel more empowered if the difference is described and communicated in a more personal way, and they will be more involved in change initiatives if they understand how it will affect them personally. Remember that one size does not fit all, so communications should be tailored to each employee in order to motivate them to change.
The Difference is a Journey, Not a One-and-Done
Every employee has their own set of characteristics and requirements. They may be in different stages of their careers, work in various offices, or operate differently depending on their department and job functions. It’s critical for your company to meet employees where they are on their change journeys, using the right communication channels, customized messaging, and the right media platform to do so.
Measure, Adjust and Reinforce
After you’ve implemented your change management program and supporting materials, use polls, feedback, and engagement tools to determine what your employees are thinking and feeling about the change. Analytical and other quantitative measures can be used to see if they’re paying attention to the information. It’s just as important to measure qualitatively for audience sentiment as it is to measure quantitatively for program effectiveness. Adjust your approach, channels, and messaging based on this feedback, and continue to do so as needed throughout the process if workers are receiving but not understanding the content.
