8 Tips to keep your workforce engaged...in the midst of change

Photo Source: Darren Hester

The first and second postings this week have focused on how change in your business affects your employees' engagement...in their work, in your business, and in their concerns.

I'm betting that you have ideas for managing change as your business and your employees encounter it. Good ideas, I'm sure.

I'm also willing to wager you'd be open to more ideas. What good manager isn't?

Here are 8 Tips for Keeping Your Workforce Engaged in the Middle of Change...

1. Make change a constant talk topic. No overkill, of course, but by talking about change often, you will desensitize the human fear of the unknown. Consider lots of "What if...?" and "How might we...?" discussion starters.

2. Share change stories (both successful and not!) from within your industry and from without. This means some research. If you'd like some documented stories, e-mail me: tim@wrightresults.com.

3. Make "Plus and Minus" the standard format for all change-discussions with your staff. That means you talk about the good that will come from the change and the difficulties that living through the change may bring.

4. Allow employees to try out change. If someone's idea for altering a process offers a positive risk-to-reward ratio, give it the go. By inviting change-ideas, you increase change-acceptance and creative thinking.

5. Promote "Find a Better Way" (or a better title!!) events, contests, discussions. The purpose is obvious.

6. Invite suppliers to offer a "Look How/What We've Changed" mini-trade show. Vendors love the chance to show off new ideas and products and processes...and it can serve as a way of introducing potential changes to  your people.

7. Make clear your commitment to engagement through times of change. Demonstrate your unflinching engagement to those who work for you and with you. Keep in mind the numerous tools you have to make your engagement the model for your people: e-mail, newsletters, staff meetings, conversations, activities...and more.

8. Engage by invitation. I/O/W, ask your employees for input, reactions, suggestions, ideas, opinions (about change, about engagement, about engagement regarding change). When you receive, respect, and recycle their responses, you show them your engagement first hand.

Previously said, change happens. And we can face trouble-making change. I hope these 8 tips are of use by you and your teams.