4 Ways to Manage Change in Your Business

Does any change in your business throw your employees for a loop? That’s only natural, because we humans are wired to have a fight-or-flight response to change. However, it can cause problems for your business. Learning how to manage change can make the difference between retaining your valued workers and constantly hiring replacements. Here are four steps to help employees handle change.

1. When employees learn about upcoming changes only through the grapevine, rather than from you, they get nervous, and rumors and misinformation spread. For example, if your company loses a big customer, employees will worry about layoffs and some may look for other jobs even if that’s not necessary. Prevent panic by openly communicating with your staff about what the change means to your business and, by extension, to their jobs. Don’t sugarcoat the truth—be honest, and employees will trust you, which will make them more comfortable with change.
2. Any time you’re making changes that require employees to learn new systems, do their jobs differently or stretch beyond their comfort zones, make sure you educate them on how to manage change. Provide proper training, whether you have employees cross-train each other or use outside training resources such as community college courses, online webinars and seminars, or industry associations.
3. One of the most common reasons employees become frustrated at work is their employers make changes to workplace systems or processes without providing the proper tools needed to handle the change. For example, if you want your sales staff to follow up on more leads, they may need tools such as CRM (customer relationship management) software to track customers and automate follow-up, or tablet computers that make it easier to work on the road. Before implementing a change, make sure employees have the updated tools they need to succeed (and that they know how to use them!).
4. Don’t just introduce big changes with no follow-up and expect everything to go smoothly. It takes time for most people to accept change, so be sure you continually motivate and encourage employees along the way. Show them how the change will improve their skills, enabling them to learn something new and helping them advance in their jobs. Provide regular feedback as to how they are handling the change, fine-tune their training as needed, and give them positive reinforcement when they succeed.

Once you know how to manage change in your business, you and your team will welcome it for the positive force it can be.