Help Your Employees Embrace Change

Change is inevitable. Unfortunately, change can bring about fear, uncertainty and distrust amongst your workforce. These reactions are normal. Most people will feel one if not all of these feelings at some point when faced with change. It's your job as a manager to get them through these tough times. The business world is constantly in flux and it will be a constant challenge for all managers to bring their employees along and through these changes.  Change management training will help them through the process. Here are three ways to help your employees to embrace change.

Share what you know immediately. Fear and distrust are natural reactions to change and you can mitigate these feelings with information. If your employees know what's going on they will feel more in control and the feelings of fear and distrust will be begin to dissipate. Call frequent meetings and even though you might not be able to let them know every, let your employees know as much information as you are able to disclose - even if you think they will react negatively. Having a negative reaction is better than hiding bad news which leads to rumors and distrust.

Involve your employees in the planning and implementing change whenever possible. If your employees are part of the changes and have some say and control of the changes they are far more likely to embrace them. It's a natural human feeling. When we have no control of our own fate then there is a tendency to have feelings of anger, fear and distrust rather than more positive emotions. Solicit and value their opinions. More than likely, the use of the collective brain power of your whole organization will find better, more innovative ways to attack challenges.

Embrace the change yourself! You can't expect your employees to embrace change if you aren't embracing it yourself. Always stay positive and don't betray your own negative emotions. You need to be honest but you also have to maintain a positive confident attitude in the face of change. Your employees will take their cue from you. Look at yourself through their eyes before you make any moves.

These three tips should help you navigate your business or department through change. Change can make us all feel anxious and out of control but when you share what you know, involve your employees and embrace change yourself, you can help your employees navigate their way through the change and even embrace it.

Charlie Bentson King is a writer and producer of motivational training videos for TrainingABC. TrainingABC is a distributor of motivational videos such as Celebrate What's Right with the World and Give 'em the Pickle.