ТОПИК - Shake-ups that leave us shaken but not stirred

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Shake-ups that leave us shaken but not stirred

Shake-ups that leave us shaken but not stirred

                         

    John recently resigned from his job with a European airline because of the way it handled heavy redundancies in the wake of September 11. “The whole experience was disaster”, he says. “I was one of the last to leave and now all the original group that I started with are gone”. John who worked in the finance department, says the redundancies were announced in an unplanned way and the workload was redistributed without any consultation, let alone assistance or incentives. “People were already overworked, but when they were also given duties above ad beyond their job specification, they began to leave in droves”, he says. ”On top of this, the change was not communicated well. We should have been consulted”.

   Workplace change has become a constant for the most employees. Yet it often fails to achieve its stated objectives and has unforeseen consequences of the kind experienced in John’s case. A new study by OPP, Which specializes in applied business psychology, seek to explain why. Poor communication is often to blame, as are change imposed from above and an absence of obvious benefits. The study, based on a survey of 1,001 people at all levels in large UK organizations, find that workplace change has left 58 percent feeling demotivated and less committed. Fourteen percent have left their jobs as a result and 49 percent have considered doing so.

    ‘There are sings that organizations may have misconceptions about their employees’ motives for working and the nature of their psychological contracts’ says Bernard Cooke, the leader of OPP’s change consultancy team. ‘Employees are not asking for less change. However, they are demanding more involvement and clearer explanations of the reason for the change and the expected benefits. ‘Employees are largely impervious to changes in the mission statement or the brand or logo that so excite those at the top. What they care about most is the effect on their pay, benefits, working conditions and job role.

      The survey, carried out by MyVoice Research, find that senior managers acknowledge the need to communicate clearly the objectives and potential benefits of workplace reorganization. Yet, in employees’ eyes, they often fail to do so. Seventy-six percent of staff say that change tends to be imposed rather than discussed, 64 percent that senior managers are the only ones consulted, and 40 percent that change is communicated either not at all or only when it has been completed.