In times like these, EMS companies often have to make strategic changes to stay competitive. In the midst of these changes, whatever they may be, employees can be resistant. Because, like all humans, employees don’t like change.
Worse, trust in all corporations, by employees and everyone else, is at an all time low. So executives leading the change are facing a doubly whammy—fear of change and distrust of management.
A recent Wall Street Journal article, “In With the New,” by Mitchell Lee Marks, says employee communication is the answer. Okay now, everybody raise your hands if you’re thinking, “Well, duh.” But the article goes on to specify communication that works best to effect change, and that isn’t always so evident. Or if it is, it’s good to be reminded of what should be common sense.
For example, it’s a good idea to make communication two-way. It should be more than a top-down diatribe. Yes, management must make clear what changes will take place and the reasons for them. But employees need to communicate too. They’ll have questions, They’ll have complaints. They’ll have misgivings. Or maybe they’ll just want to vent. Management needs to provide a safe way for employees to do so. By “safe,” I mean a way to vent so their comments won’t be held against them later.
Also, communication must absolutely be honest, without corporate-speak. This can be harder than it seems. Sometimes there’s a tendency to soften the blow by predicting rosier outcomes as a result of the change. Or by minimizing the pain that will be required to make the change. Or by obfuscating the message with highfalutin words that don’t make your meaning clear, but have long been accepted in the C-suite (i.e., corporate-speak). There are plenty of ways to avoid being completely honest. Resist them.
Inviting employees to enter into an honest conversation about new directions your company is taking works like magic. Employees need to understand the business reasons for the change. They need the opportunity to let go of their old ways of thinking, often by talking through their concerns. When that happens—presto, change-o—the whole change process becomes smoother.
