We all know that one of the most important parts of being a good manager it helping staff through change in the workplace. This means talking to them about the changes that may occur, consulting them on ideas before a firm decision is made, and helping them through the transitional period with as much support as possible.
From an employee point of view however, how does it all feel, and how can you cope with changes to your contemporary office environment?
Every single office space changes from time to time. This is part and parcel of life, and it also means that the business as a whole is adapting to changes in the market, in order to keep up to date and avoid being overtaken by competitors. Changes can be big or small. For instance, purchasing brand new modern workplace furniture is a positive step, but some employees might be unnerved by the change to their regular environment. It’s important to understand that changes affect everyone in different ways.
If there are changes afoot in your office, how do you feel about them? Does this make you feel anxious and nervous? Or, are you excited and looking forward to the change? Has your manager sat you all down around the meeting room chairs and explained what may happen, or have they asked for ideas before a firm decision is made?
The way in which change is handled can be a big indicator of whether it is going to turn out well, or be a total disaster. For instance, it is far better to discuss changes with employees before a decision has been made to go ahead with them. Surely as someone who works at those very office desks on a day to day basis, you would prefer to have input on changes which will affect you directly? Thankfully, most employers recognise this.
If you’re not sure of how to feel about an impending change, or what to do in order to feel better about it, check out this very useful infographic.
Source: www.slideshare.net/cathy007/8-ways-to-thrive-during-change-at-work-infographic
As you can see, dealing with change in the workplace really comes down to finding out as much information as possible, and your attitude towards it. Thankfully, these are both things you can directly control.
When an employer doesn’t give enough information about a prospective change, it creates an atmosphere of fear within the workplace. Employees then start to worry and talk between themselves, often coming up with scenarios which are far from the actual mark.
Your employer should be the ones to initiate a conversation about this, putting fears to rest, but if not, ask for a meeting around the modern conference tables and ask the questions that you are requiring clarification on. Any quality manager will be happy to answer any queries you have, and they will also give you information on how they will decide whether or not the change is actually working.
Once you have the information and you know what the situation is, it’s important to assess it realistically. See the change as something new and challenging, something you can get your teeth into and approach as a positive. A change is as good as a rest, after all!
In addition, try and approach a flexible mind-set and avoid overthinking and moving towards disaster territory in your mind.
These changes are not there to trip you up or cause you worries, they’re simply being made to stay ahead of the business game.
Who knows, the change might actually turn out to be far better than things are right now! If you’re getting new office tables as part of a refurb, see the positives! If a new computer system is being implemented, approach it with new eyes and excitement and understand that this is another string to your bow.
Whatever changes occur in your workplace, it’s important to deal with them in a flexible and positive way. By doing this, and by asking the questions you need answers to, you will be able to deal with anything which comes your way, and conquer it like the professional you are.