Any business leader worth their salt (like you) knows that a thriving business needs committed, motivated employees. Times of transition and change — if they’re not handled well — can have a negative impact on employee wellbeing and motivation.
The key is to keep engaging with your team. Here are our top tips to handle change well.
Keep communication open
Nothing breeds anxiety and demotivation in a team as quickly as poor communication, or worst still… no communication at all. Keep communication open, honest and frequent. Try to give staff as much forewarning as you can about potential changes in role, new processes or even potential job losses.
While you’ll instinctively want to reassure your employees, truth-telling will ultimately build trust and a willingness to follow your leadership.
Recognise training opportunities
Seize the opportunities in any period of change. Will some roles or processes need to adapt? Then provide training to make sure your employees are equipped and motivated to excel.
Try to shift from a ‘survival’ mindset and instead look at opportunities to upskill your team for future success.
Promote mental wellbeing
Remember that each employee needs to be well to work well. Dedicate some time to promoting and supporting mental wellbeing among your staff. We recommend some leaders and managers having Mental Health Awareness Training to give them the tools and strategies to manage their employees’ mental health problems with greater confidence and efficiency.
As well as check-ins with line managers, you could offer regular social check-ins, or even access to physical and mental wellbeing subscriptions.
Seek employee feedback
If you want to know how best to lead and engage with your employees during this time, then ask them. Create a platform in which employees can provide feedback in an appropriate and pressure-free way.
Specific questions can help keep things on track, but also recognise if employees are reporting a general lack of motivation or wellbeing, and put steps in place to help.
Build measurement and recognition processes
Recognition is a powerful incentive. But during times of change within an organisation, it’s easy to lose sight of recognising and rewarding work, especially as outputs or roles may be changing. Make sure you build a culture of measuring and recognising excellent work. Put processes and rhythms in place to make this easier.
Download our expert guidance pack to help lead your business through times of change >>
We’ve created a pack of five guidance documents, designed to help you walk your team through times of change. We’ve done a lot of the legwork for you, so inside each, you’ll find policy templates, essential checklists, and all the HR forms you’ll need.
