Communicating corporate restructuring: how to keep your employees engaged and invested

You are bound to have lived through corporate restructuring at some point in your career. Usually, this is done to change direction and strategy and is generally done by new leadership executing that change in vision. For many employees, restructuring brings a sense of dread and uneasiness. It is generally associated with a period of change, instability, and, in some instances, cuts as certain positions are eliminated and others added.
I’ve now experienced restructuring in government and private corporate settings. Both had challenges and were met with opposition, but one was executed in a more transparent way, utilizing change management communications to ensure that the corporation and its employees understood the goals, objectives and the new path the organization was taking to maximize efficiency. I led the change management communications in that instance. I worked with the CAO and senior leadership and built out a comprehensive communication strategy, complete with timelines, milestones and in-person town halls to meet with all employees, not just those affected, and walk them through the plan. Don’t get me wrong, we were met with resistance as change is hard. And while we may not have achieved mass consensus and support, that’s not the purpose of engagement. What managed to lift the veil and cloak the situation was building transparency during a difficult time and ensuring that all employees were informed of the change and understood why it was happening and the process surrounding the change. While some did not agree with all the changes, they appreciated the open dialogue and the atmosphere of transparency. They felt empowered because they were in the know and not in the dark – eventually allowing them to come to terms with the change and work in their newly created environment.
That’s what makes good leadership. In our changing world, there will be a point where your organization will need to change, pivot to respond to customers and stay ahead of the competition. As a leader, the process of how you implement that change and, more importantly, how you communicate it internally and externally to your stakeholders is what matters, and it’s what sets you apart, creating a path of future success. Effective change management communications are imperative to help organizations transition and reposition, all while maintaining an open dialogue with employees who will execute this plan. Many organizations fall short here; they do not have the expertise to devise and implement a change management communications strategy. SMRT Solution Consulting can assist you in building an effective strategy to create transparency and communicate the purpose, objective and end goal of your restructuring.