How to Successfully Manage Change in your Organisation

Managing change can be really challenging, but also necessary at times for businesses to grow or adapt to the changing environment.

We’re aware that many businesses are having to work through significant organisational change in 2024, due to financial constraints or change of business direction, and many don’t know where to start.

We’ve pulled together some important information around working through organisational change.

Take the time to plan:

Even if you’re needing to implement changes quickly, taking the time to plan is incredibly important to ensure you are providing the best experience possible for your people, and ensuring that the changes are implemented successfully.

Reactive decision making and poorly planned out change processes, can lead to more cost, more stress and anxiety for everyone involved and potentially expose your organisation to risk from an employment law perspective.

Map out what your team/ business is needing in terms of change (ie: structural/ cultural change). Then look at potential impacts on your people. In the case of structural change, that may mean upskilling individuals or alternatively looking at other opportunities within your organisation or a potential redundancy.

Timing is key:

Think about when you are best to commence a change process. Starting these processes right before Christmas, for example, is not recommended. Nor is beginning a process when key leaders are absent and can’t support their people.

Look at anyone who’s impacted who may be on parental leave or annual leave and ensure you are reaching out to connect with them.

Follow Due Process:

There are key processes/ steps you need to follow with any significant change process to ensure you’re working in line with NZ Employment law. Make sure you are aware of your obligations and reach out to an expert if you need help.

Write it down:

Ensuring those impacted have documents they can take away and read with their partner/ support person is crucial. When people are feeling anxious or stressed, they will only remember a very small amount of what you say during a meeting so being able to reflect and read through information is really important. This information should cover:

·       Reasons for the proposed changes

·       What the proposed changes are (with an org chart)

·       Details of consultation process

·       Timeline of process

·       Where to go for support

·       An individual letter detailing what the proposed changes on their role may be.

Having information documented is also important to ensure you’re mitigating potential risk from an employment law perspective.

Take your time with consultation:

In NZ, if you are considering significant changes in your organisation, you most likely need to consult with your people.

Consultation can help to make people feel engaged in the process rather than feeling as if they have no control over the situation. It’s also important to ensure you’re receiving as much feedback as possible on proposed changes. In our experience, good consultation processes almost always result in changes to the proposed structure based off the feedback that is received.

Be a good human:

Sounds simple, but so many people can get this part wrong. Put yourself in your employees’ shoes and think about how they may be feeling, especially if the difficult decision is made to make someone redundant.

Look at all ways you can support them such as: EAP, time off for job interviews, outplacement support.

Where possible, be flexible about whether or not they need to work out their entire notice period. Ensure you talk to them about how they may want to exit the organisation. I.e.: would they like a farewell morning tea or a team lunch?

Either way, making sure you acknowledge and thank those who are leaving for their support and contribution is key. Gone are the days where people are expected to quietly exit out the side door.

Don’t forget those left behind:

Support for people who remain in your organisation is critical. Don’t underestimate the impact significant organisational change can have on those that remain, even if they’re not ‘technically’ impacted by the changes.

Ensure you’re checking in with your team members and opening the channel for communication. Connection is important for team morale and continuing to support a healthy culture.

If you’re needing help or advice with change in your organisation, please reach out to us at ColourHR. We’d love to help!