Managing Change in the Workplace: A Practical Guide for 2022. Your business won’t stay the same forever. Legal changes, new technology, and policy changes will affect all businesses at some point, requiring your staff to adapt.

 

The term “change management” refers to a structured way a company implements these types of changes to take it from the current way of doing things to a desired future state.

 

While managing change in the workplace can be hard, it should be viewed positively. When change is managed well in a business it can help the business remain fresh. It can provide new opportunities for the business or help it to remain competitive.

 

Changes can also improve productivity. It can also improve employee morale and make your business a good place to work for.

 

Trends in change management for 2022

 

Over the past decade or so, the global business landscape has undergone a significant amount of change and that’s not expected to change in 2022

 

Changing technology,  regulatory changes, and consumers who are more informed than ever have shaped the business landscape and they had to keep up.  These are some of the areas to focus on when managing change in the job next year:

 

1. Digital transformation

 

Technology keeps changing so rapidly, many organizations have been implementing entire change programs to replace systems so that the business can be competitive and viable both now and into the future.

 

A recent survey of senior business and HR leaders by Australian consultancy Lighthouse Group found that 18.33 % said being digitally prepared was one of the greatest challenges their business faced.

 

 This includes grappling with changed consumer habits, artificial intelligence, automation, and other disruptive influences.

 

 

2. Becoming more agile: Managing Change In The Workplace.

 

Companies increasingly need to become more agile and adaptable in their outlook and approach to respond quickly to issues outside of their control.

 

Embedding this approach in all aspects of a company’s work processes means that the company can be responsive to its environment as well as customer-centric, ensuring ongoing growth.

 

 

 

3. Succession planning: Managing Change In The Workplace.

 

As the Baby Boomer cohort is increasingly retiring from the workforce, passing the torch to the next generation of leaders within an organization is a major priority.

 

This includes building capability within Gen X and Millennial staff so that they can eventually replace your senior leaders. 

 

4. Use technology to help with managing change in the workplace.

 

Digital and technological change isn’t just something to adapt to – it can also be used to manage change itself.

 

Technology can be used from everything from data analysis and trend forecasting (for example artificial intelligence and machine learning) to implementing change strategies via tools, such as DeskAlerts.

 

Difficulties in implementing change in an organization

 

It’s estimated that as many as 50 to 70 % of change management projects fail to achieve their goals, meaning many of these initiatives have been costly exercises that have yielded little or no results.

 

Common reasons why change programs fail include:

 

• Staff resistance. People just don’t like change, unless they get persuaded.

 

• Leadership failure. Without clear leadership, managing change in the job can fall short as it’s hard for the staff adapts to change.

 

• Poor communication. When the change process is unclear, including why and how the company is changing, employees can struggle with the lack of direction.

 

• Unrealistic goals. When change plans are unreal, they are destined to fail.

 

• When costs blow out and money runs out, the change initiative can end up mothballed. Or, worse, plunge the company into a financial crisis.

 

• Technological failures. When software is replaced or upgraded, problems can cripple the company.

 

• Effectively implementing change in your organization.

 

• According to McKinsey, the five-year or three-year strategic plan has increasingly become a thing of the past.

 

Today, organizations must deliver rapid results and sustainable growth simultaneously and react more quickly to both threats and opportunities.

 

To bring about an effective change management program in your organization, there are some simple steps you can follow.

 

1. Identify what needs to be improved.

 

Change is necessary to improve your business. Defining what needs to be changed, it’s critical to assure what the desired result will be, set goals and begin planning the process of change.

 

2. Plan for change: Managing Change In The Workplace.

 

 Planning can never be underestimated. When you have a plan in place for managing change in the workplace, everyone on your team can understand what it is you are trying to achieve and the steps that need to be followed to achieve those goals.

 

3. Allocate resources

 

Identify the resources that are needed to allocate them on tasks as part of the change management process. You may also need to consider resources such as new equipment, software, hardware, accommodation, and other tools that will help bed the change initiative down in your organization.

 

4. Communicate your change: Managing Change In The Workplace.

 

Effective communication can be the difference between your project’s success or failure. You need to explain your project to your staff and help them to see what the change is, why it is necessary, and how it is going to take place.

 

Ideally, you will be in charge of the organization involved in the process. Two-way communication where staff can ask questions and give meaningful feedback can help your business.

 

5. Provide training

 

When you have new systems, your staff must receive proper training so they can perform at their best. A uniform program will ensure that everyone is told the same information and will know exactly what to do and what is required of them.

 

6. Manage employee resistance: Managing Change In The Workplace.

 

Some level of resistance will appear it’s human nature to push back against change as it puts people out of their comfort zones. However high levels of employee resistance can derail the entire project.

 

Employees resist change because they don’t like having to do things a new way, they fear the unknown, or because they can see that there is a risk to doing things differently. Anticipating these responses and being prepared to deal with them will help your change project run more smoothly.

 

7. Review and revise your project

 

A change project might not finish in the timeframes you originally planned. This is because you should be reviewing the project and its success and determine if there is anything that could be done to improve on it. 

 

How to use DeskAlerts in 2022 to successfully manage change in the workplace

 

When it comes to communicating with and engaging your employees on various aspects of your change management initiative, look no further than DeskAlerts, an all-in-one internal communications software solution.

 

DeskAlerts is built around a platform that sends notifications directly to employees’ computer screens, cell phones, tablet devices, and to any other digital screen within your organization.

 

Notifications are sent quickly and easily to your entire organization or specific groups of employees. Other internal communications methods such as email or intranet sites don’t have the same cut-through as DeskAlerts. 

 

DeskAlerts bypasses these methods entirely. Messages are displayed in a way that cannot be ignored and you can be sure that your critical info is being received and noticed.

 

•  Features include: Managing Change In The Workplace.

 

Pop-up alerts that appear on employees’ screens informing them about important developments in your change initiative.

 

Video alerts where you can send video content outlining your initiative direct to employees’ screens.

 

Corporate screensavers and wallpapers where you can deploy reminders about the change process, for example, timelines or key messages about the change, in a more passive way, reinforcing the messaging you are sending via other channels.

 

Scrolling desktop ticker tape with key points and links to further information, crawling along the bottom of employees’ screens.

 

Surveys, polls, and quizzes module where you can gather valuable feedback from your employees in real-time about any aspect of the change management process.

 

Digital signage – turn any screen in your organization into a billboard with graphics and other content displaying information about your change initiative.

 

Gather statistics in real-time to determine which employees have seen your messages and which ones have not.