Restructures, mergers and acquisitions, and digital
transformations are shaping workplaces worldwide. We all know that change is
vital for any business to succeed and grow. But, if we look closely, we will
find that more than 65% of the change initiatives fail and 40% among those
happen because of employee resistance
Today’s competitive market does not allow organizations to
be unsuccessful over important change initiatives. A study shows that about 80%
of businesses are likely to witness negative revenue impacts within a year of
failing to complete digital transformation efforts. We have also seen the
effect of the Covid pandemic leading to increased employee burnout and the ‘great
resignation’ and how workplaces struggle with change fatigue.
It is an issue that entrepreneurs and communication leaders
must overcome. You have to implement plans to help you rise above change
resistance and change fatigue into strengths. Here are some tips to ensure
that, while change is unavoidable, change fatigue can surely be avoided.
Signs
of Change Fatigue
To see if your employees are suffering from change fatigue, you can
look out for warning signs—disengagement, stress, burnout.
Beating Change
Fatigue
Adopt these communication strategies to address change fatigue and deliver
successful change programs at your workplace.
Build Change
Resilience
The best way to support employees against fear of change is to build confidence
and trust. A negative response is natural, but it can be overcome with a strong
positive mindset. You should start building change resilience as soon as you
can. Allow your employees to get used to it by openly talking and sharing posts
about your change initiatives—even the smallest ones. Show them that the change
is positive and not be afraid of it and that they will be part of the change,
all the way. Slowly building trust this way enhances employee well-being and
reduces the propensity for staff to exaggerate negative aspects of the change.
Apply a Communication
Plan
Communication can influence successful transformation in a big way.
Employees are 8 times more likely to report a successful outcome in
organizations that talk about their change steps openly. So, to ensure
successful results, you must transparent for every change initiative that you
plan. Build a formal communication strategy to ensure that no one is
overlooked. Leaders who listen to employees during change initiatives give them
a voice that promotes understanding, trust and a stronger willingness to adapt
to changes.
Visualize the Future
State
Don’t concentrate on the change process, but focus your envisaged outcome.
When the journey is long and an involved one, there is a greater chance of
losing sight of the destination. So, it is important to promote the final
outcome, especially in your leadership communications. Sell the positive
outcome—not the change. Encourage employees to visualize the outcome. Use visual
representations to increase positive perspectives and reduce the uncertainty
that undermines employees’ willingness to accept change. Displaying a clear and
intended outcome that can be understood by everyone will help you to implement
change successfully. It also lowers the risk of change fatigue.
Improve Employee
Engagement
Workplaces with low morale are likely to face more change fatigue of their
employees. Employees who are
often disconnected with the company feel they are on their way out, or are looking
for change. Their lack of involvement can breed isolation, which is
difficult to fix. Business leaders show that culture is the biggest barrier to
change. So, an experienced programmer can promote a strong company culture.
Find options to engage staff in areas related—as well as unrelated—to their
roles, celebrate individual and team successes and build ties through employee
engagement apps. Enhancing employee engagement can encourage change activists whose
positivity can further influence co-workers and boost employee sentiment on the
whole.
Mend the Important
Aspects
Trying to mend the reasons for employee change fatigue is admirable. But
address those that are important to the staff. There are several tools
available for this. Analyzing the sentiments shared over the Internet social
media channels, employee surveys and anonymous staff interviews—all these can
offer valuable insights. Use the results for communication activities and to
address the issues before they become too huge to handle.
About the Author
Mr. Harish Jagtani, a philanthropist, visionary, businessman of Indian origin, currently based in Democratic Republic of Congo for more than 20 years now, is one of the most reputed business owners in the Indian diaspora as well as the entire expat business community in DRC. The business house caters to multiple domains, including but not limited to Domestic as well as International Air Cargo, real Estate and infrastructure development, healthcare, hospitality as well as CSR.
Coming from humble beginnings from Jaipur, Rajasthan, Mr. Harish Jagtani has come a long way in building this conglomerate with a strong and clear vision, sheer dedication and grit. Starting with a small job in sales, Mr. Harish Jagtani today is a proud and righteous owner of a fleet of airplanes and multiple businesses that cater to the basic and advanced needs of the people of Dem. Rep. of Congo in different sectors