Before a pandemic turned the work world upside down, what would your reaction be to hearing your manager say, “Our organization is being restructured to meet business needs and changes”? The concept of employee belonging during a restructure was already challenging, as this news often triggered emotional reactions ranging from, “What’s going to happen to my job?” to “More change, good grief,” and “How am I ever going to get anything done?
Fast forward to today and our new workplace reality. How would a remote worker process that news? There would be no direct lens on the day-to-day changes. Mapping its affect effect would be nearly impossible. And if you thought employee engagement was disjointed before the announcement, think about what this does to a person’s sense of belonging now. We’ll witness fear, insecurity, stress, and lack of productivity impacts, to name a few. Timing is everything. And planning for these critical changes is imperative.
You can create substantial long-term benefits by focusing on ROI and moving to a different thinking model while restructuring.
That model is centric versus top-down and syncs up well with matrix or “influence style” structures. In addition, having the “person” in the center changes the dialogue.
How do we accomplish this while keeping engagement strong and meeting competitive and growth challenges?
Here are 5 recommendations:
- Show you value your team. Please provide them with the best tools to get their jobs done that include technologies that are most supportive of the new ways of working; recognize them for their contributions; offer them unique opportunities to meet with senior leadership; encourage them to share their ideas and points of view; and send a party in a box for them to have with friends and family, if they are not near one of your locations.
- Over-communicate the entire plan for the reorganization. For example, set up a schedule of small group chats and keep everyone apprised of milestones met and those missed; intentionally reach out to all employees with 1:1s.
- Show excitement about the future and what it means to everyone. Share what’s in it for them by being present on the ground floor of this new period in the company’s history. Leverage the voice of the employee in these opportunities.
- Offer employee support resources and recognize their citizenship in your company; reframe the employee experience to facilitate remote workplaces, which includes at the least keeping them connected to their peer group.
- Create opportunities for people to select new career paths; invest in them through professional development, training, and education. Upgrade leadership competencies to manage the new workplace more effectively.
Today’s workplace is different. Getting on board today will set you up for success with what tomorrow may have in store. Now more than ever, creative, innovative thinking will drive the future of how we work. As Albert Einstein said, “Creativity is intelligence having fun.”
Using this mindset of keeping your largest resource (people) top of mind drives outcomes that previously may have been unsustainable and unattainable. By prioritizing employee belonging during a restructure, companies can navigate changes more effectively and emerge stronger, ensuring a cohesive and engaged workforce.