How would you communicate a policy to employee change?
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Effective communication with employees needs efforts, takes repetition, thoughtfulness and most significantly requires to come from the heart. Communication needs to be something business leaders want to do whenever they can, instead considering it a checkbox before getting back to the “REAL WORK” of running the business. Before the policies and procedures negatively impact your employer, it is vital to know how to communicate policies and procedures to staff effectively. Whether you have developed a policy manual, an employee handbook, or some other form of documentation of your company’s HR policies, it is vital to understand how to communicate the contents of these documents to your staff. Your employees must be advised why it was created, what is the purpose and how the document will be utilized in the company. It as well applies when updates to policies are being made. Following are the ways of communicating policies to your employees: 1) Inform employees up-front: • At the beginning of the project, let employees know that the company will work on developing company policies. • Explain why the information is vital and relevant, and what impact it will have on them. 2) Ask for feedback: • To encourage employee involvement, ask employees for their ideas regarding what they think must be included or altered in the policy manual or employee handbook. • Include as much of the employee feedback as possible. • Involve employees in drafting particular sections of the policy document if it makes sense. 3) Introduce the final product: • Conduct a meeting with all employees to announce the completed handbook or manual and review its purpose. • Emphasize its significance and how it must be utilized. 4) Request employees to review the policy manual: • Give employees a chance to ask questions. • Distribute the manual to staff, either in a hard copy or advise them on how to access the document electronically. • Ask employees to give feedback on improving the document. 5) Provide training where required: • Some policies and procedure may need more extensive and intensive training to make sure that employees understand how the policy applies to them, thus provide employee training, as needed. • Training does not have to be given all at once. You can schedule training sessions on an on-going basis or an as-needed basis. 6) Request employee sign-off: • It is vital for staff to read the document to become familiar with the company’s policies. • Request every employee sign-off on having read the document. • A copy of the sign-off must be placed in the employee’s personnel life. Conclusion: The policy manual is a living, breathing document. It must be often reviewed and updated about once a year- and must incorporate any employee suggestions for enhancing the document. Keep in mind that the manual as well acts as an employer branding document which communicates to employees what’s it is like to work for your company. The manual must be written in a tone and format that suits your company’s culture and personality. Following the above-given ways and pursuing training and development in human resource management, will help you to be well on your way to communicate your policies to employees effectively. With many employees naturally resisting anything but the status quo, leaders often struggle to keep employees engaged during times of organizational change. Most change, in and of itself, can generate a sense of unease because it pushes employees out of their familiar and comfortable territory into the new and unexplored. Properly communicated, though, change can be exciting. It’s all in the way you get the message across using communication channels. Based on decades of employee engagement research, this blog post lays out six
change management communication tips for leaders on how to communicate change and, at the same time, keep your employees engaged and on track. Review the internal communications strategies below: 1. Communicate the Reasons—Openly and HonestlyEmployees deserve your respect. Don’t try to protect them from what is going on behind the scenes. If you want them to stay engaged, make sure they understand why the change is warranted. A simple, direct and straightforward approach will quell any suspicion that there’s an issue you are trying to hide. You are likely to encourage gossip and rumors if you are not transparent, clear, and truthful. You will know you are on the right track when employees understand why changes are being made. 2. Communicate the Changes From the Top DownSignificant change requires leadership’s commitment, involvement, and consistent modeling. Employees expect to hear the current situation, complications, and implications from leaders at the top first. The initial change announcement should come to all employees from the CEO (ideally in person) and then cascade across the organization in frank and two-way team discussions with directors, managers, and supervisors. You will know you are on the right track when employees believe leaders do a good job of informing employees of changes and believe that their supervisor is an active supporter of changes that affect their team. 3. Explain How the Change Will Affect ThemEmployees want to know what the change will mean to them personally and professionally. Will their role change? Will their performance be measured differently? Will they have a new boss or team? Acknowledge that things will be different and that you appreciate the effort it will take to adjust. Because many employees will be anxious about the future, understand that there will be an emotional component to their reaction to the change. Give them the good news (the specific benefits for them) and bad news (if any). And, by all means, thank them for their cooperation, patience and continuing allegiance to the company. 4. Detail the General Change ProcessGive employees the step-by-step plan for what’s going to happen and when. The more clearly they know what to expect, the more comfortable they will be with the process. Share what you know, what you do not know yet, and when you expect to fill in the gaps. 5. Get Specific about What They Need to DoOnce employees have the overall plan, they will want to know where they fit in and what is expected from them. What actions must they take? This is where they need to be on board with the change and commit to it. If there are some employees more necessary for the change to be successful than others, you can try to target and customize your communications to multiple audiences. 6. Give Employees a Chance to Digest the Information, Ask Questions and Raise ConcernsThis is the most critical step of all to keep employees engaged. Provide opportunities for two-way communication where employees ask questions and get answers. An anonymous survey can help, but we recommend face-to-face meetings whenever possible. You will know you gather feedback and your employees feel as though they're being asked for their input regarding changes that affect their work. The Bottom LineChange is a constant and can be messy. Ease the transitions for your employees by communicating openly and honestly and encouraging their questions, commitment, and help. This post was originally published in July 2018 and was updated with new findings and resources. Visit the Change Management Topic page. How do you communicate changes in policy?Other ways of communicating policy changes to employees. Sending emails to employees.. Putting information on your company intranet site.. Sharing the policies on your internal social media platforms.. Writing letters directly to employees.. Having managers discuss the changes at team meetings.. How do you effectively communicate with change to employees?8 methods and techniques for communicating change:. Be clear and honest when communicating change to employees. ... . Use care when communicating organizational change. ... . Tell employees what's in it for them. ... . Set expectations with change management communication. ... . Tell employees what they need to do.. |
