In my 20 plus year career in HR and laterally as a HRD in both utilities and the ventilation sector https://www.linkedin.com/in/shauna-purdey-80078aa/ I have partnered the business to lead though international travel disruption, challenging financial determinations , floods, fatalities however never before has the term “Furlough” or Covid 19 lead to such an immediate and significant impact on how we run our business in the short and almost certainly the long term.
Change in a business in normally well planned, slow to execute, involves lots of consultation, sometimes this approach works and sometimes it does not.
“The more you try to manage change,
the more it comes to a halt.” – Thijs Homan
For most people change = discomfort, which is why models such as “ Prof. Kotter, J. P. (1995): Leading Change “ are worth reflecting on , and yet in the last few weeks week we have found ourselves as leaders, thrown into a period of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity like nothing we have experienced before.
So how do we turn this into something positive when our normal and often preferred methods of communication and engagement are no longer available to us? It has been a challenge and will continue to be a challenge for some time to come. A few important things come to mind,
Gaining trust
- Make expectations clear
- Persisting with old measures for the new way of working won’t work
- Focusing on pushing change, not generating pull will impact engagement when the organisation is fully operational again
- We need to take more time than ever to pause for celebrating and allow time for reflection
- Customers /clients new and old will return , it’s important that we don’t lose focus on them and their needs
Leading with integrity
- The mood and tone we take as leaders significantly affects others develop a HERO mind-set. Try to be, Helpful; Effective; Resilient; and Optimistic.
- Credibility – means the words you use. Can people trust what you say?
- Reliability means your actions. Do you do what you say you will do?
- Intimacy means your emotions. Do people feel comfortable with you? How can this be created with those working on site, those working remotely and those who have been “furloughed
Dealing with “Furlough” status
The greatest thing I have learnt is ensuring that in addition to signposting your intended direction of travel, it is important that you have a model that aids your decision-making, a consistent and fair process that ensures that the right business decision is made at the right time.
Your process, just like it would be for example in a redundancy situation needs to be fair and could stand a fair and reasonable test from an employment law perspective.
However be comfortable that we are operating in “exceptional circumstances” and therefore some of the “essentials “and “would likes “ may not be able to happen. Information that we would normally have readily available or be able to draw on from previous experiences has not been as clear or as quickly available as we would have liked it to be – a true test of our leadership capability.
For example, face-to-face communication would normally be the preferred way to consult and communicate with colleagues; however, that is not possible so think creatively how you can communicate in a different way and still treat colleagues with the dignity and respect they deserve. Think about who needs what communication and when, who is responsible for doing it and by what means. In addition having the relevant paperwork available and a means for documenting the changes you have made.
How we treat our colleagues, clients and customer now will be the difference for those who come out of this stronger and more efficient verses those who do not.
The SOAR model is a helpful way to slow down the reactive thinking process:
- Suspend snap decision making
- Observe the problem
- Allow wisdom to percolate up
- then Respond decisively
Leading Remote Workers
- Focus on what your remote workers have accomplished, not on whether you can see them accomplishing it, for some of us this is not a new way of working for others its unchartered territory
- Build trust with your remote workers during your one-on-ones. Take the first five minutes to check in on them as an individual, inquire about non-work issues, and ask them for feedback on how you can communicate better. Acknowledge that different team members will have a wide range of emotions and responses to the change that has been quickly placed upon them
- Make your check-ins more interactive. Screen-share slide decks etc., sharing reports in advance of calls and referencing points in the documents that are clearly labelled can really help ensure everyone remains engaged in the communication
Looking Ahead
When we come out the other side of this, colleagues will above all remember how they felt, how they were treated, how they were engaged with. Whilst they might not necessarily like every change that has happened to them, if they feel that that they have been treated fairly and with dignity and respect, this will in the future reflect how the feel about the organisation. Engagement and trust levels matter now and will matter even more when full operations resume.
Reintegration is key, for me the workforce falls into three groups, all of which will come with their different challenges and opportunities as well as expectations:
- Those who are still physically in the same place of work
- Those who have been working remotely
- Those who have been allocated “Furlough” status
Each of these groups and of course the individuals who make up these groups will come with different physical and emotional needs. Those who have been ill, those who have lost a family or friend. Those who have not been able to see family members for some time, those who have been juggling caring responsibilities with work in a way that they would never have imagined. Those who feel anger or resentment to other groups where there is a perception of a “better deal”.
Preparing for their possibly slow reintegration back into the organisation is key. This is also an opportunity as leaders to take stock, what news ways of working have served us well? What automation that we have been delaying or cautious about investment will need to be implemented?
And finally, an important stage in any journey of change is reflection for you as a leader and your leadership team. What skills have emerged that you did not know you held? What skills gaps have emerged? Who has stood out in terms of leadership capability and potential – does this align with those you have previously identified through your approach to talent management. What are the positives that you can take from this accelerated change journey to make you and your organisation even stronger in the future?