Are They Ready for the Changes?

When we talk about change in an organization, it doesn’t just mean employees doing their jobs differently; instead, it often means doing different jobs.

An article in Singapore Business Review described the results of an interesting study of companies there. They noted that “43% of executives predict at least one in five roles in their organization will cease to exist in the next five years,” and went on to suggest that “being prepared for job displacement and reskilling is critical for organizational survival.”

Obviously, for your organization to survive changes, your workforce must be adaptable to new roles. Many employers are concerned about their employees’ openness to change, with only 60% feeling comfortable that they can help their employees change, while 69% are comfortable with hiring from outside to accomplish change.

Clearly, it is not just the organization’s survival that is at stake; it’s your employees’ individual career survival as well.

The question, then, is “are your employees ready for changes?” There are a couple things to consider…

First is communication. Have you let people know about the changes that may be coming, or are you keeping it all a secret? Many leaders don’t wish to say anything until everything is settled and all decisions are made, but that may be too late. If you know changes are likely (and honestly, is there any company where change is NOT likely?) then make sure your people know so they can start getting comfortable with the idea. Once the details come out, they will be in a better state of mind to make decisions about their future.

Next is a learning culture. Is learning a normal part of everyone’s role, or do you instead use training as a reward for good performance (which too many companies do)? If your folks are continuously learning, that not only gives them a greater set of skills so they can be more adaptable, it also puts them in a more open frame of mind, so they are more accepting of change. While it’s important to develop people’s functional skills so they can do their current jobs, it’s good to also build up their “soft skills,” the kinds of skills that can be useful in any job, like one-on-one communication, making presentations, time management, and so on.

Change continues to come at a fast pace, and it’s only going to get faster. If your employees aren’t prepared for that, it’s your job to get them ready.