Change is All Around
It’s a simple fact that most things in life are moving on more swiftly than ever before. It happens and we don’t really notice it – until it hits us in the face.
The nature of employment in the Island is changing. There is a move towards higher skilled jobs in many sectors of the economy. This is coupled with an increased and more efficient use of technology and, even in ‘traditional’ industries such as construction and retail, a greater leaning towards more efficient, up-to-date management techniques.
Change Is Viewed Differently
While change is welcomed by some people and seen as a challenge, for many it is viewed with suspicion because they don’t know where the change will take them. They may be afraid of new working practices and worried about the training that might be involved. They may fear for their jobs. Although young people coming through the education system now are being taught that there are no long a ‘jobs for life’ and that they must arm themselves with the transferable skills needed to cope, this new culture will take a long time to fully permeate the workforce.
In Jersey recently redundancy is one of the least pleasant aspects of change that many organisations have been faced with. In truth we should perhaps, have been better prepared. But Jersey has for so long enjoyed virtually full employment that the sudden shock of the spectre of redundancy has left us reeling.
The people left without jobs are obviously those worst hit, but spare a thought too for ‘the survivors’. Their world is less certain than it was previously and while some people may cope and even see it in a positive light, many others will not. Of course, it is not only the people in businesses where redundancy has occurred who may be feeling vulnerable. Redundancy has caused little ripples of uncertainty everywhere and even people in secure jobs may be worried about the future.
Change Mechanisms
So it is probably as good a time as any to examine your internal procedures and ensure that you have the support mechanisms in place to cope with change, whatever its cause might be, before it happens. Do you, for instance, have adequate channels for communicating with your staff? Communication is key to everything – it is a fact that a workforce that knows what is going on is more motivated and individuals are less likely to suffer from stress.
Organisations where managers are constantly springing surprises, where staff are left out of the decision-making process and therefore do not understand the reasons for decisions, are places where the ‘rumour mill’ is believed more than management. It’s not a healthy situation.
Communication is the most important aspect of planning for change. Consult with staff and get their input before planning the change. Discuss how you plan to reach the goals; what will you need to reach the goals, how long might it take and how will you know when you've achieved them. Don’t initiate change for the sake of it. Know why you're making the change and what goals you hope to accomplish. In a larger business consider appointing a change manager or an external consultant who is experienced in implementing organisation-wide change.
Implementing change will work best if employees are involved so delegate decisions as much as possible and, as far as is practicable, let them decide how to manager the project.
Finally, include closure in the plan. Acknowledge and celebrate your accomplishments. It won’t be plain sailing, but by putting the right mechanisms in place, implementing change need not be too painful a process.
