Help your employees embrace the changing work environment

Organizational change is a time-taking and complicated process. Employees feel burnt-out as the change process reaches its final stages of completion. Many of them don’t possess the required skills and knowledge for remaining productive after the change has taken place. Companies cannot deny the fact that the world has changed rapidly since the covid-19 outbreak. Everything has gone online. So if your workforce isn’t equipped to embrace the changing work environment, you are doomed. 

Remember that employees detest any change in their daily routine as it requires substantial mental effort and investment of time. But you will have to create an ecosystem where people understand the changing market landscape and upgrade their skills in a fun way.

This article sheds light on four things to help your employees embrace the changing work environment.

1. Bring authenticity and transparency into your functions.

If you haven’t already made your business proceedings authentic and transparent, it’s high time you do that. Research suggests that 23% of employees believe more transparency regarding their company will increase their motivation. It would be best if you involved your entire workforce — frontline executives, C-suite managers, vendors, suppliers, and distributors — while making any decision. 

Another survey conducted by SHRM reveals that 30% of the workforce believes that their managers don’t create an ecosystem for having transparent communication. Research indicates that when employees are excluded from the loop, they feel left out and don’t align their goals with that of the company. 

Instead, it would be best if you take your employees’ feedback. Explain in detail why the change is necessary and how it will impact their future. By involving your workforce in business-centric discussions, they will feel excited about the change and accept it wholeheartedly. 

2. Embrace employee feedback with open arms.

Like customer feedback helps you make necessary changes in your products by gaining the customers’ perspective; similarly, employee feedback allows you to glean market insights that your senior management may have missed. Also, employees feel valued and empowered when their feedback is given proper attention. 

Remember that employees are a massive repository of information that can help you stay ahead of competitors. You must develop an ecosystem of positive feedback where employees can freely express their opinions. When you listen to your workforce carefully and realize their needs, desires, and aspirations, they respond to the changing work environment favorably. 

Also Read: How can businesses create more business through customer advocacy?

3. Become more emotionally intelligent.

Emotional Quotient (EQ) plays a more significant role than Intelligence Quotient (IQ) when dealing with humans. You cannot behave like a strict school teacher if you want to encourage employees to embrace change. You have to put on their shoes and address their problems one-on-one. Moreover, you need to be supportive of their efforts and assist them whenever they need it. Empathy and compassion go a long way in building a heart-to-heart connection with your workforce. You can learn from leaders like Steve Jobs, who are known for their charismatic personalities. Emotional leaders are deeply respected and admired by their employees, and under their guidance, people tend to accept the changing work environment without any hassles.

4. Focus on things that will never change.

Employees love the organizations they work for. And if the management decides to bring some changes in the work ecosystem, they are met with employee resistance. According to the research published in the academy of management journal, employees care for their organization. And when a radical change sets in, they feel that their ties with the organization will diminish, and they will lose the organizational identity they so dearly possess. The greater the change, the more they fear.

You must explain the nitty-gritty of the change to your workforce. Moreover, don’t forget to reiterate that your company’s MVV (Mission, Vision, and Values) will remain intact. It will provide employees stability and give them a sense of security to embrace the change without any difficulty.

Also Read: How to deal with a stubborn customer?

Conclusion

The work environment is changing rapidly. The covid-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the situation. Moreover, people are adopting technology — online transactions, e-commerce, and social media — at such a fast rate that it has become essential for businesses to match the pace. For that, companies have to transform the work environment speedily. It requires employees to understand the changing business scenario and upgrade themselves at the earliest. This article focuses on four essential points that you should implement to encourage your employees to accept the changing work environment. 

At Sage Software Solutions (P) Ltd., we are home to world-class ERP software and CRM software that will solidify your business tech support fundamentals and enable you to build a customer-centric organization. To know more about it, SMS SAGE to 56767. You can also write to us at sales@sagesoftware.co.in

Disclaimer: All the information, views, and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and their respective web sources and in no way reflect the principles, views, or objectives of Sage Software Solutions (P) Ltd.