So we left off with part 1 with an understanding that you might need to change some of your HR staff due to the realities of changing your HR business operates. Some you’ll want to keep, some you won’t. Hash as it may sound, I’m not too concerned about the ones you don’t want to keep. For whatever reason, they don’t have the skills, competencies or whatever other factor you need and they are getting displaced. Find a nice outplacement firm and let them do their best job.
I am concerned about the ones you do want to keep. These are individuals who you’ve decided have the right mix of skills, competencies, work habits, desire, growth potential, etc. to make a difference in your new organization. They should be excited, right? WRONG!!! These people are most likely frightened by the changes they see, unsure of themselves, concerned for their friends who are losing a job, and generally feeling betrayed by the organization. So much for excitement.
Don’t assume your people wil lbe excited about change. They almost never are. Excitement must be generated and passed on by the executive staff. I’m not talking necessarily about the “RAH RAH” session (although they have their time and place). I’m talking about conveying the meaning of the change on both a job and company level.
When someone’s job is changing to a more strategic level, there is true reason for excitement. The role of the change agent is to dig through all the employee’s concerns and help them understand what the change will do for their career, and how they will be helping the organization. An added layer on that is how the new structure as an overall strategy fits into the corporate strategy. As employees immerse themselves into a development plan to gain the new skills and competencies, they will hopefully find the new challenges and deeper understanding of the business rewarding. (if they don’t – you shouldn’t have kept them). And if you execute well, you’ll be rewarded with stronger employer branding leading to stronger employee engagement.
