A company makes a major change to its daily business operations but doesn’t let its employees know about it ahead of time. What does not saying anything actually say to employees? Lots. It tells employees they are not important enough to “bother” with – just shut up and do your job! Management’s let-them-eat-cake attitude acts like a proverbial guillotine, cutting off any sense of trust from employees. Talk about disengagement.
With management hiding behind the corporate curtain like the Great Oz, employees speculate about what the change means to them. How does it impact their jobs? What does this mean for the company’s future? This only churns the company rumor windmill with gusto. Questions meet vague responses. Or, better yet – a shrug and the ole’ standby: “It’s corporate’s decision.” This is a company that sets its cruise control to adequacy and apathy and its weak communications style will always play second fiddle to rumors.
On the flip side, there’s the company with an open and honest communications policy. Facing layoffs affecting every department, the challenge: when to communicate? Do it from the outset without yet knowing which employees will lose their jobs or wait to communicate – springing the news on employees on D Day? The decision: Honor the open and honest communications policy by communicating early and letting employees know this is coming. Why? It’s the right thing to do. Maybe some employees plan on making major purchases like a house or a car. Knowing this information would be invaluable to their decision-making.
Does announcing the news early cause some panic and rumors? Sure. In fact, this is the argument some people might have against letting employees know about the layoffs in advance. Communicating early gives the company the chance to stay ahead of the rumor mill and explain the why before too much noise filters out what’s important.
When companies sit on big news without letting employees know, it hurts credibility. It can have a negative domino effect on all future announcements requiring employee buy-in. Employees who have been scorned, stunned or outraged from past actions and lack of communication will raise their eyebrows with skepticism at whatever the company line happens to be.
So, does your company have major news or changes coming down the pike?
- Communicate early.
- Communicate often.
- Communicate consistently – before the rumor windmill spins out of control.
- Refresh and continue. Communications shouldn’t stop once the change happens. Get feedback on how messages were received. If necessary, fine-tune your message based on that feedback and continue.
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