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What if employees are resistant to change?

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People are afraid of change. Change means stepping outside of what�s comfortable, known, and often, easy. But as we�ve stated, change is inevitable. How you manage it, though, is vital.

No matter how vested an employee is in the company, it always comes down to �what�s in it for me.� People, even those who care deeply about the company, want to know how the change is going to affect them personally. A good leader will help employees to understand the personal impact. Address these issues, especially if the changes aren�t going to be taken well. Sweeping them under the rug will just cause more fear, bitterness, anger, and resistance, and possibly the loss of a good employee.

Experts recommend that you help employees be an instrument of change. Here are a few thing you can ask employees to do (while you do your part, of course) to make the change go smoothly:

Learn about the change

Ask how you can help.

Find out what you can do to prepare for the change.

Display a positive outlook.

Encourage constructive conversations with fellow employees.

Be open and honest with your feedback about the change.

Be quiet and curious

Ask questions about the future

Ask how the change will impact day-to-day operations.

Provide input to the solution.

Find out what new skills and abilities you will need to perform when the change is in place.

Assess your own strengths and weaknesses.

Identify training you need.

Take advantage of the change to develop new skills and grow professionally.

From a management perspective, you can do the following to help employees accept the goings on of the company:

Understand that the main reason people resist change is because they don�t understand what you�re changing, why you�re changing, and how you�re changing. It�s your job to clear up the confusion with proactive conversations, memos, meetings, Q&A sessions, whatever it takes to make everyone comfortable and get them on board.

Getting angry with people for being resistant will only worsen the problem. Don�t get defensive, don�t say �because management says so,� don�t blow up when people ask questions. Just answer them as clearly and kindly as possible, and understand where they�re coming from. Change is hard on everyone.

Change takes time. For example, in restructuring a company, it�s quite likely that an employee will have to do two jobs, or take on extra responsibilities for a while. Taking on an extra load makes people more resistant to change. Help them see that this is just for the time being; help them see a light at the end of the tunnel; and help reduce the work load or offer concessions to make things easier until the process is complete.

Changes often require more training or skills. For example, putting someone in a new position is often exciting and a compliment to the person�unless the employee doesn�t feel qualified. Offer training, coaching, mentoring, or other options to help people get up to speed.

Next Page: What are Employee Incentives?

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