HR leaders should take these three steps in times of change
HR’s ability to deliver tailored communications during times of change and stress is critical to organizational performance.
In today’s business environment, characterized by economic disruption, technology transformation, labor market shifts and new global trade policies, employees and other stakeholders are looking to business leaders for reassurance amid uncertainty. HR has a critical role to play in communicating with employees to build trust, communicate priorities and inspire confidence in leadership.
Even if your organization is managing today’s challenges well, some degree of change is inevitable. The catalyst could be external, such as trade or recession, or internally driven — mergers or acquisitions, large-scale HR transformations, new skill requirements for an evolving business, or other change initiatives. Effective HR leaders take these three steps to win stakeholder and employee support through times of challenge and change.
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For the best chance of achieving the business results promised, start by articulating priorities and goals. Success will depend, in part, on whether the team driving the initiative and socializing its potential impact and advantages can succinctly and consistently communicate the problem you’re trying to solve, why it's important and how the solution will benefit the business.
While that may sound easy, getting the message across, striking the proper tone and positioning it correctly will have long-lasting impacts. This becomes the foundation on which alignment, acceptance, buy-in and engagement or re-engagement will be built. Getting it right is crucial. Without a sound foundation and vision, the odds of success are against you.
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Once the goals of HR and the business are clear, aligning key leaders and stakeholders is essential. News travels fast, so taking a calculated, thoughtful approach to the cascade of information will help build understanding of the advantages for the business, each key stakeholder and employee segments.
Engaging leaders and other key stakeholders and positioning them for success requires that they feel heard. They should feel empowered to shape the outcomes that are meant to serve the business and employees. They must also be prepared and confident in their ability to authentically lead employees through change. This requires a two-way dialogue. For example, one-on-one interviews, virtual focus groups and employee surveys create opportunities to gain influence, buy-in, alignment — and identify areas that require clarification or more information.
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Getting your message across and effectively connecting with employees and other stakeholders requires an intentionally built communication platform. A single, centralized and purpose-built digital employee experience is necessary to provide HR information and manage change. In most cases, this isn’t your organization’s Intranet, which serves a broader informational purpose and is rarely nimble and easy enough to adapt quickly when the latest information needs to be communicated or when different audiences require tailored information on the impact the change will have on them and what to expect.
If you don’t have a platform to effectively communicate with employees, consider a purpose-built, agile technology platform that can grow and evolve with you and allow you to personalize the experience.
You will need a qualified partner to support building and using the employee experience platform. Your technology should be an agile enabler, and your partner must know the landscape of your HR challenges and what can go wrong to help it go right. They must understand that change is, at its heart, emotional more than rational and appreciate the mindsets that guide behavior — and what it means to solve for that. Technology, change and communication experience, and HR expertise are each a must. The partner who can deliver real impact will bring all three.
If you need to build support for such a centralized digital hub, start small and focus on immediate value you can build on. The ideal starting point will depend most on your short- and long-term priorities (e.g., awareness of the benefits and programs you offer, appreciation for your investments, easier access for your entire workforce, global consistency with regional relevance). Bottom line: Don’t wait if you want to be ready for the future.
