How to deliver change comms that put employees first

No one wants to be the bearer of bad or uncertain news. When you’re going through times of change such as layoffs or company reorganization, everyone hopes to communicate the message to your employees with compassion and understanding. This can be particularly tough in a remote, displaced world where face-to-face interaction with employees is often limited. No matter the arrangement, communicating with your employees about company changes should be handled with honesty and respect for all involved. Here are a few tips to ensure that happens.

Be forthright from the start

You might be tempted to give your employees a limited amount of information for one reason or another — whether legal encourages you to be withholding, leadership is stalling or you’re waiting to learn more information. However, the more upfront you are with your worker from the start, the more likely they are to be receptive to the news you have to share.

For example, if your organization is acquiring another company, when you make the announcement to your employees, you should provide them with a scope of how the move might impact their day-to-day jobs and responsibilities. When there’s news that’s going to affect how the company runs, and more importantly, affects the way employees interact with the company, it’s best to give it them the news straight.