With the ever-growing need for more productivity, many call centres are constantly changing: processes, structures, and above all technology. This often increases fears among employees and sometimes anger. Jens Moeller discusses dealing with change in the workplace and employee resistance to change.
Resistance to organisational change
People don’t like change and nowhere is this more obvious than in the workplace. Employees wonder whether they can cope with newly introduced technology. Some fear that organisational changes may make them redundant. Some may be annoyed by the new processes and technical changes that “slow them down” and “make things too complicated” - not seeing the larger picture.
This can cost the overall acceptance of a new CRM system (for example) or seriously block structural change. Employees sometimes refuse to work with the new system and simply keep on using the old one if it is still available. Or they complain with the worker's council. And all of this resistance to change will come at a hefty cost.
The complexity of behavioural change
Organisations often forget a basic human law - protect oneself.
They often assume that employees will simply adapt to change. They also assume that employees will raise any issues they experience.
But this is not the case. Employees want to protect their positions, especially in these times of economic uncertainty. And by doing so, employees will do their utmost to come across as competent, a team player and not critical.
If an employee does choose to report the problem to their superior, the issue at hand may not be communicated correctly if it is not discussed contextually.
Therefore, for many project managers and leaders employee resistance to change can come as a surprise. And in most scenarios, learning about the resistance to the change may occur at quite a late stage in the project. This will cause delays and backtracks in a project, all of which is costly.
How to deal with change in the workplace
Employee resistance to change can be avoided through targeted coaching. The coach deals with fears and anger among employees, offering options to deal with the change and working with the member of staff to chose an option and put it into practice.
A coach should be:
-
competent in both organisational and behavioural change,
-
able to demonstrate that they have worked in a similar position to the employee,
-
external to the organisation, thereby alleviating employees’ fears of honesty in the presence of managers,
-
allowed to treat employees’ concerns confidentially.
An experienced coach with diplomatic skills can resolve acceptance issues quite efficiently and quickly, saving the organisation significant time and money.
Jens Moeller
Jens Moeller Consulting
Related call centre articles
5 steps to a successful change programme
Not taking kindly to transformation?
How to nurture your centre through change
|