Insights

Most people hate change, which is understandable because we are creatures of habit. Change is uncomfortable. Change is usually painful. However, change usually means growth. We are told to embrace change in a microwave society of innovation, where AI is taking over. Nevertheless, it doesn’t make it any easier to accept change just because things are changing so rapidly in the world. Everyone likes fast service, but when it comes to changes at a company, NO THANK YOU!

What makes change so difficult at work? Why are employees so resistant to change?

Well, one major reason employees are resistant to change is poor communication. Yes, you sent an email 60 days before the change, 30 days before the change, 15 days before the change, and so on. Yet was the change discussed with the employees before being implemented? Were the potential risks or impact of the changes ever talked over with the employees? Probably Not!!!

Leadership just got together and decided, this was the best course of action without any employee input. I can’t say it enough, this is a huge mistake that your company is making by not getting employee feedback before implementing a change. Remember, employees are the subject matter experts because they are the boots on the ground. So, when you don’t consult your employees before making a change, you will only make them more unwilling and resistant to any changes you make. Poorly communicated changes create a toxic work environment and bad employee morale, which hurts your company’s productivity and bottom line.

Another reason employees are resistant to change is because of the company’s poor planning. Sending an email in time increments leading up to the change is not planning, it’s only the beginning. Training needs to be set up and extra resources need to be set aside for the change. These two crucial elements will help you deal with the impact of the change on productivity.

In regardless, it should never be a sink or swim scenario. Being reactive as a company wastes time and money because you are trying to figure out how to deal with a current issue surrounding the change. It’s better to be proactive, anticipating the impact on the people, processes, and systems. You may not be able eliminate all the risk of making changes, but if you know some of the risks, then you will save time reacting to the issue surrounding the change.

Lastly, let’s address not monitoring the change to see if it made things better for the company or worse. This goes along with leadership accountability for the change. Employees are getting tired of all the changes, nothing is working, and no one is measuring the impact. It’s called change fatigue. All changes need to be monitored for progress and impact over a span of time. If a change made things worse for the company, leadership needs to take accountability for it openly and address ways to remedy the situation, which would include employee input before any changes take place that will impact employees.

Employees are Resistant to Change because:

1.      Poor Communication

2.      Poor Planning

3.      Not Monitoring the Change

So, Change Management is needed in order for employees to be more cooperative with change. Companies should solidify employees’ trust, which will foster motivation, engagement and increase employee morale, so that changes can be implemented.

If you would like to know more about how change management can help increase productivity, improve employee morale and decrease employee turnover, then check out our podcast, Reducing Profit Loss now available, not only on Spotify, but on iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Castbox, and Radio Public.