What happens in the upper echelons of a company can sometimes be obscure to workers lower down the hierarchy. This also applies to changes in management positions, which might affect several departments within the company -- and keeping employees informed of those changes is of vital importance.
The standard communication practices within most companies might not suffice to keep those workers affected by management changes abreast of new developments. To guide businesses in the best approaches that they can use, 12 experts from Forbes Human Resources Council share the strategies they implemented to ensure their staff would be kept in the loop about any management changes, and why those approaches were so practical.
1. Seek Input From Key Groups
Communication is two-sided. Understand all stakeholders that will be affected by this change, how they will be affected, and communicate accordingly. Seek input and feedback from these key groups at critical phases of your change to ensure the organization has the right knowledge, skills, perception and desire needed to ensure a smooth transition. - Candice McGlen, The Rinker Group
2. Lead With Trust
Lead with trust, trusting that people can handle and want the truth behind management changes. Often, they have a sense of the need for change, and are looking to leadership to validate with a truthful explanation. If you have hired and retained a talented team, being forthright and open about changes accelerates the acceptance to move forward and builds trust to unlock their greatest potential. - Jennifer Reimert, Workhuman
3. Just Do It
Lack of communication, especially about management changes, causes confusion and lack of trust in an organization. Leaders often overlook communicating new leadership hires or rotations and shy away from tough messages about departures. Communicating something, however brief, to those affected, as well as the broader organization, shows transparency and respects the past while looking to the future. - Jennifer Marszalek
4. Start With The 'Why'
One of the biggest issues in change management is lack of trust between management and employees. Management needs to be more transparent in their communication on the management changes and start the communication with why the change was necessary. Just communicating the change without providing context will cause confusion and distrust. - Srikant Chellappa, Engagedly
5. Focus On Company Needs And Values
When there's a change in management, employees want to be assured that A) the change is justified, and B) their own situation either stays the same or improves. It can be a delicate situation, especially if a change was due to a cause or negative feelings. Ultimately, leaders have to balance transparency with the interests of the company, assuring team members the change is the best case scenario. - Angela Nguyen, Good Gummy
6. Have Face-To-Face Communication Sessions
Leaders should communicate change through town hall sessions or small group meetings, depending on the company size and number of locations. Having face-to-face sessions will show employees that their leaders care and respect them. Leaders should ensure that there is adequate time and provision for question and answer sessions where employees can express their concerns and have them addressed. - Ochuko Dasimaka, Career Heights Consulting, Inc.
7. Have The New Managers Interact With Employees
Management changes are often best understood when the new leader is presented as a real person, not an on-screen bio. Plan a roadshow to give new management a chance to interact with employees in formal settings like town hall meetings and informal settings over lunch or happy hour. Road shows give new management a chance to use their own voice, tell their own stories and begin to build trust. - Karen Crone, Paycor, Inc.
8. Transition Exiting Team Members The Right Way
Not telling people when a key player leaves is a common practice and is ridiculous. Always treat visible departures openly and with dignity. Do an announcement. Offer a toast. Allow for transition time and goodbyes. And never, ever speak negatively of team members who have departed, for any reason. It’s a small world and it's bad for your brand to put that kind of negativity out there. - Tracy Cote, Zenefits
9. Provide A Safe Space
Communicating management changes to employees requires employers to be open to questions and to provide a safe place for feedback. Having physical meetings to discuss changes and allowing employees to ask questions works well. Creating an FAQ as an additional tool to rely upon will also help with a smooth transition. - Charles Ashworth, Zendrive
10. Share As Much As You Can
Nothing scares a workforce more than undisclosed management/structure changes. Communicate as much as you can as often as you can with your team so that they know what's happening and why. When people fear for their jobs, a scarcity crabs-in-a-bucket mentality can tank morale, but if people feel like they are part of the change, they are more likely to be supportive champions of the new structure. - Courtney Pace, FedEx Employees Credit Assoc.
11. Involve People Early
A lack of involvement or information forces people to fill in the gaps for themselves, not always accurately. The sooner you can involve all team members, the better. It allows for the team to raise issues that leaders may not be aware of and ensure a smooth implementation. It also encourages trust and allows leaders to get better buy-in for any changes. - Karla Reffold, BeecherMadden
12. Use A Varied Approach
Use a varied approach with your existing culture to enhance this. While an email will always be preferred by those who'd rather not be pulled into another "special meeting," if your organization has a culture of regularly scheduled team huddles, safety meetings or departmental meetings, use it. Prep managers with the information and have them share within their smaller team environments. - Rebecca Edwards, City of Concord, NC
