Strategic decisions

Communicate with your staff

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You are about to start a process that will involve asking questions of your staff. They need to know why you are doing this and how they will be affected. The project is probably driven by the quest for your business to be more efficient by reducing overheads relative to the number of staff you employ or increasing the effectiveness of your organisation. Left unmanaged, the news of these changes can have a serious negative effect on your staff. They can feel left out, threatened and demotivated. Rumours abound which may misrepresent the true motives for the change.

In short, you should answer three questions about the project:

  • Why is this being done?
  • How will it be done?
  • How long will it take?

In addition, there are key questions for your employees:

  • Who will be affected?
  • What is being done to support staff?

You can manage reaction to the change through a range of communications such as newsletters, information rooms, tailored announcement packs, focus groups, web pages, guidebooks and leaflets. Specialist consultants - such as employee relocation companies, change managers, management consultants and some design consultants - can help you through the process. They may either be independent, or it may be another service available from your space planners or architects. Progress presentations with photographs held at regular intervals – perhaps every two weeks – will keep staff up to date and help them to feel involved with the project as a whole.