Maintaining morale during times of change is tough for any business – regardless of size – and is something Upstream’s CEO Neil Tilley has recently been discussing with Smartcompany.  The change discussed by Neil concerns acquisitions and the importance of embracing an open and honest approach in dealing with employees, but it’s not just internal change when this approach is wise.

Right now, businesses across Australia face unprecedented levels of external change.  Whether it’s debate surrounding a price on carbon or new government legislation, if there’s one thing certain in business it’s uncertainty.  Managing a business through uncertain times isn’t easy – employees can become nervous about how external factors will impact their day-to-day work and worried about the future.  In many cases businesses can navigate these times successfully but this depends on how well they communicate with their most important asset – their employees.

Below are some top tips Upstream has learnt through managing the business during times of change.

• Articulate the vision – clearly communicate with your staff where you want the business to be in the year and years ahead.  Staff that understand and share a common vision are crucial in helping a company stay on track during uncertain periods.
• Increase communication – in times of change it’s only natural for staff to worry.  To avoid them worrying too much and alleviate any concerns they may have, increase the volume of written and verbal communication with staff significantly.
• Create new channels for communication – in addition to increasing communications, create new channels such as anonymous management feedback forms so staff can have a direct line to senior decision makers if desired.
• Respond to queries quickly – during times of change there’s nothing worse than radio silence from management about decisions being made so make an extra effort to respond quickly to questions and queries that come in from employees.
• Be prepared – before announcing any kind of internal change or response to external factors do plenty of preparation so you can anticipate likely responses from employees.  This includes thinking of all possible questions that might be asked so you have responses ready if needed.