
The 10 most common reasons employees resist change
By John Crowley
I’ve long been fascinated by the reasons why people resist change, even when it’s for the best. Why do old people refuse to use smartphones? Why do children find it so difficult to move to a better school? Why do employees kick against new software or systems?
The best way to help employees understand why a change is happening, is to have them involved in the change decisions in the first place. This also serves to remind them that they are a valuable part of the team, and to reduce any fear of the unknown. So before making changes, consult the people who it will affect – your people.
“Change is not something that should be forced onto employees by management” says Elizabeth Becker, client partner at PROTECH. “Instead, employees should be involved in the planning and implementation of change. This allows management to enact changes in a way that improves the working environment, while improving organisational efficiency.”
According to research by The Creative Group, not enough organisations do this effectively. Only 45% of professionals said changes were considered carefully, while 53% felt staff members weren’t sufficiently involved in implementing them.
Continue reading: People HR Blog