The 8 Steps To Building Employee Engagement During Change

Why Bother?

During these tough trading conditions we as managers have more than enough on our plate, so why worry about employee engagement during times of change? Simple, there is a whole host of research demonstrating the links between the way people are managed and engaged and business performance.

This paper will give you eight key steps to help you as a leader to build employee engagement during times of change

1. Agree The Facts

It is very important to kill the ‘Grapevine’ as quickly as possible and make sure everyone understands the real reasons behind any change in the business. There may even be a difference of perception within your leadership team! Therefore it is vital to agree:

1. What has just happened?

2. Why has this happened?

3. What is the status today?

2. Understand The ‘Word On The Street’

When you as a management team have agreed ‘the facts’ you can now focus on what is being said by your employees. The most pragmatic approach is to in effect ‘re-recruit’ all your direct reports. This means finding out how they are feeling? What are they saying? What is their morale level? What key issues do I need to address? Are they clear about what is expected of them in their role following this change?

3. Prepare For The Tricky Questions

It is inevitable that the ‘word on the street’ will generate some tricky and sensitive questions that should be addressed rather than ignored if engagement is to increase. These typically include:

1. Why was that person selected?

2. It’s all Sales fault isn’t it?

3. Will I be next?

4. Is career development put on hold?

5. Does the business have enough muscle to handle an upturn when it happens? And so on….

Agree your responses to these tricky questions as a management team to ensure consistency.

4. Different Strokes For Different Folks

Plan to meet every member of your team individually and adapt each of these meetings depending on the style of employee you are meeting. For example, your more analytic employees may like to be provided with facts, information and data which they can take away, reflect upon and come back to you in due course with any questions they may have. Other employees may need reassuring and a verbal arm around the shoulder etc. Customising your approach depending on your audience will have a big impact on building engagement for the future.

5. Have A Strategy For Handling Your Top Performers

Managing your top performers during times of change requires more skill as some of the traditional methods of recognising performance i.e. salary increases, training and development budgets, may not be available to you.

1. Training and development does not have to mean classroom based courses. Use the expertise you have within the business to provide mentoring opportunities.

2. Research shows that being valued is a key weapon in building employee engagement, so try to grasp every opportunity to give your star performers involvement in decision making and exposure in the business.

6. Avoid Overworking Your Employees

Yes, everybody has to work hard and be focused but overworking your employees is not sustainable. Many companies downsize their employees but don’t touch their systems and processes which are still operating as though in the old structure. Therefore ensure your systems and processes are as nimble as possible. Another common cause of overwork during times of change is duplication of roles, ensure that everyone is clear as to their roles and responsibilities in the new structure to avoid frustration and duplication.

7. Invest In ‘High Touch’ Outplacement

Although it might seem counter-intuitive to invest in the welfare of ex-employees when the reason for a lot of changes in the business are driven by the needs to cut costs. However, there is a growing body of reason that shows outplacement positively impacts not only the wellbeing of the people leaving the organisation, but also the morale and engagement of those who remain in the business, resulting in greater productivity.

8. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

You can never over-communicate in periods of change. It is critical that you communicate:

1. The business vision

2. How we have re-organised ourselves

3. Key activities that will get us moving in the right direction

4. Where we are invested

5. What happens next

Don’t forget to communicate quick wins and results against plan. Keep on talking but more especially – keep on listening!

About Us

Connor are experts in Public and Private sector outplacement and also provide clients with a range of services designed to help them navigate through periods of change. For more information on how we can help contact us on 01491 414 010 or email us at tccinfo@connor.co.uk.