Change is part of life, and if you run a business, no doubt you've experienced a ton of new and unexpected changes in your company. Dealing with change, at some point, is an inevitable part of running a business. Making sure your employees can handle the change with ease can be challenging.
Adapting to unexpected change is essential for businesses to stay relevant and compete with other competitors in your company's field. You don't want to be far behind in one area and lose customers over missing out on a trend that could help your company become more efficient and functional.
Even though change can be stressful, if navigated well, your business, employees, and customers can thrive with the new change. All it takes is a little preparation, staying professional, and having the right mindset.
Change That Impacts
Some changes are minor, others not so much. If your business upgrades its breakroom with a new coffee machine, then that's a change your customers don't need to know about. That kind of change may make your employees smile, but if the change is for a new manager, you may have to work a little harder at getting everyone on board with the change.
If a new manager has some ideas for sales metrics or any other part of the department, employees could resist new ideas.
Dealing With Resistance
You can help people adjust to big changes by doing a few things:
- Before the change takes place, communicate. People need to know what's going on so they have time to adjust to the idea of something new. This means letting everyone know about that change that's involved, from employees to customers.
- Talk about how the change will impact the employees day-to-day and the company overall. Make sure to highlight the good points of what this change can do.
- Keep a positive outlook and maintain positivity in the workplace. Make sure the culture is not toxic. If employees are worried, get to the bottom of it and discuss how to combat those worries.
Creating a Routine
Change can be frightening to people because it means a break in routine. People like having a normal and things they can rely on. Communication is a huge piece of the puzzle when it comes to helping your employees adjust to change. How that communication is delivered is another key part of how the change is received. The last thing you can do to help change be well received and adapted to is help set a new routine.
Talk your employees through what the change will look like and how often new things will need to be tried before the right routine takes place. Once the new change becomes routine, the apprehension to it will dissipate.
Remembering to Have Fun
New ideas, employment, business ventures, don't always have to be scary. If you're already communicating, you're a step ahead of other company's. Take a moment to celebrate the news and post on your business social media accounts.
Help customers and employees get excited about the upcoming changes about to take place. You can drum up excitement by hosting competitions, giveaways, and fun news on how the change can have a positive impact on your company. If your mindset is in a good, positive place, then your employees are more likely to follow suit.
Most people know that change is hard. When it comes to running a business, the pressure of change is amplified. You may have your hands full with managing a company, but being scared of change shouldn't hold you back. Remember to follow a few tips to help you, your company, employees, and customers navigate the new normal with ease. Inform and communicate, stay positive, create a new routine, and don't forget to have some fun. With a little preparation and positivity, you and your business can be on your way to a successful future, change included.
Related: Things You Should Consider Changing If You Want To Improve Your Business