Does the thought of a move or reorganization of your office space send shivers down your spine? As an HR practitioner, the changes often affect you the most. You have to deal with the complaints, the misunderstandings, the confusion, the constant questions of “what stage is it in” and “how is it going to affect me (the employee).” This is all before you get to the actual move — when the possibility for chaos is endless.
How do you proceed and finish with the least amount of stress on yourself and your staff? The first step is understanding how the initial idea of change affects your staff. The second involves reducing stress during the planning stages. And, the third deals with implementing the move in an organized fashion.
Phase one: Understanding employees
In some situations, employees are not only dealing with changes in their work descriptions, but also contending with a relocation of “their” space. This is usually more stressful than many people appreciate. It is important to be aware of employees’ desires and fears, and how an organization’s actions are sometimes interpreted.
The trend over the last several years has been to depersonalize workspace. “Hotelling” is another trend (where employees book time to spend in the office, otherwise they work from their homes, their cars or with clients). This definitely reduces real-estate costs, but what is the cost to the employee and productivity? Many people rely on the stimulation and comradeship of the office environment.
Employees need to be treated as individuals, with the same respect for “their” space that most executives receive. They are very territorial of the space they spend eight hours a day in, and rightly so. Here are a few examples of what not to do:
Lack of communication during planning stage. One company decided, without any discussion or conversation with sales staff, to reduce their workspace to as small a size as possible. The idea was to force the staff to spend more time outside of the office. A top salesperson’s response to the space reorganization was “I bring in millions of dollars of business to this company and this is the way they treat me.” The company lost quite a few top people. Morale and productivity declined.
Lack of respect for personal items. During a move, one person’s personal award disappeared and was later found hanging in an executive’s office.
Lack of planning and schedule management. Staff arrived Monday after the move was to be completed on a weekend. The workstations were still being constructed around them. Electricity, phones and computers were not functioning and their belongings were scattered all over the place. Total chaos. The message to employees was that performance mustn’t be that important.
Phase two: Planning and communication
Change will always meet with rejection unless the change is communicated well.
There is a difficult balance to meet when a person is happy with their current space and is being relocated to a new space. For better or worse, staff become very concerned about whether new spaces will meet needs. Outwardly, they focus all discussions on meeting the needs of the work, however do not underestimate the need to make sure it will feel right for them.
Arrange a meeting with each department head to explain the company’s goals concerning the move.
Then hold a meeting with each department, led by the manager and assisted by the person in charge of the move. Inform staff of the plan to date, identify their areas of concern (hopefully you are prepared, but there could be a few surprises). Spend time brainstorming ideas, and setting up a give-and-take style of communication.
Once all the information is gathered and a preliminary plan is executed, arrange another meeting with each department to review and discuss anticipated problems and again have two-way communication.
Invite staff to feel part of the process and listen to their concerns. Planning will reduce the chances of finding some important issues later. It also gives staff the emotional security that their concerns are being considered.
Let all staff involved in the change know that someone (HR staff, facility management or an independent consultant) will spend individual time to sort out personal priorities.
Anticipatory anxiety is reduced by the amount of information provided. When everyone fully understands the big picture and feels part of working toward a common goal with the company, staff can stay focused on their work and free from worry.
Phase three: Implementing
a stress-free move
Planning all factors of a move requires a skilled person in charge. Scheduling is key. When one component of a move is delayed there can be a snowball effect on the schedule. A skilled person can usually work around that or make required adjustments early enough to avoid chaos.
Keep a close eye on the progress. This can be a full-time job during the construction phase, the furniture installation phase, communication planning and the move. All require on-site attention.
Provide progress reports. Explain the anticipated timing of a move, and what the staff can expect to happen at various stages of the project.
Ensure employees that everything possible will be done to make the move go smoothly.
Inform staff that a plan is in place to resolve any glitches on the first day back after the move. Give each person a plan with the new location and instructions for the move. This will keep their stress levels in check.
Have a friendly approachable person in charge of the move. One person who knows everything about the move, and can quickly answer any questions or concerns, is key to successfully orchestrating a stress-free reorganization or relocation.
Deborah Glew, of DGA Project & Relocations Management, has been an independent project manager for several large and small company moves and reorganizations over the past 12 years. She can be reached at (416) 410-7651 or [email protected].
How do you proceed and finish with the least amount of stress on yourself and your staff? The first step is understanding how the initial idea of change affects your staff. The second involves reducing stress during the planning stages. And, the third deals with implementing the move in an organized fashion.
Phase one: Understanding employees
In some situations, employees are not only dealing with changes in their work descriptions, but also contending with a relocation of “their” space. This is usually more stressful than many people appreciate. It is important to be aware of employees’ desires and fears, and how an organization’s actions are sometimes interpreted.
The trend over the last several years has been to depersonalize workspace. “Hotelling” is another trend (where employees book time to spend in the office, otherwise they work from their homes, their cars or with clients). This definitely reduces real-estate costs, but what is the cost to the employee and productivity? Many people rely on the stimulation and comradeship of the office environment.
Employees need to be treated as individuals, with the same respect for “their” space that most executives receive. They are very territorial of the space they spend eight hours a day in, and rightly so. Here are a few examples of what not to do:
Lack of communication during planning stage. One company decided, without any discussion or conversation with sales staff, to reduce their workspace to as small a size as possible. The idea was to force the staff to spend more time outside of the office. A top salesperson’s response to the space reorganization was “I bring in millions of dollars of business to this company and this is the way they treat me.” The company lost quite a few top people. Morale and productivity declined.
Lack of respect for personal items. During a move, one person’s personal award disappeared and was later found hanging in an executive’s office.
Lack of planning and schedule management. Staff arrived Monday after the move was to be completed on a weekend. The workstations were still being constructed around them. Electricity, phones and computers were not functioning and their belongings were scattered all over the place. Total chaos. The message to employees was that performance mustn’t be that important.
Phase two: Planning and communication
Change will always meet with rejection unless the change is communicated well.
There is a difficult balance to meet when a person is happy with their current space and is being relocated to a new space. For better or worse, staff become very concerned about whether new spaces will meet needs. Outwardly, they focus all discussions on meeting the needs of the work, however do not underestimate the need to make sure it will feel right for them.
Arrange a meeting with each department head to explain the company’s goals concerning the move.
Then hold a meeting with each department, led by the manager and assisted by the person in charge of the move. Inform staff of the plan to date, identify their areas of concern (hopefully you are prepared, but there could be a few surprises). Spend time brainstorming ideas, and setting up a give-and-take style of communication.
Once all the information is gathered and a preliminary plan is executed, arrange another meeting with each department to review and discuss anticipated problems and again have two-way communication.
Invite staff to feel part of the process and listen to their concerns. Planning will reduce the chances of finding some important issues later. It also gives staff the emotional security that their concerns are being considered.
Let all staff involved in the change know that someone (HR staff, facility management or an independent consultant) will spend individual time to sort out personal priorities.
Anticipatory anxiety is reduced by the amount of information provided. When everyone fully understands the big picture and feels part of working toward a common goal with the company, staff can stay focused on their work and free from worry.
Phase three: Implementing
a stress-free move
Planning all factors of a move requires a skilled person in charge. Scheduling is key. When one component of a move is delayed there can be a snowball effect on the schedule. A skilled person can usually work around that or make required adjustments early enough to avoid chaos.
Keep a close eye on the progress. This can be a full-time job during the construction phase, the furniture installation phase, communication planning and the move. All require on-site attention.
Provide progress reports. Explain the anticipated timing of a move, and what the staff can expect to happen at various stages of the project.
Ensure employees that everything possible will be done to make the move go smoothly.
Inform staff that a plan is in place to resolve any glitches on the first day back after the move. Give each person a plan with the new location and instructions for the move. This will keep their stress levels in check.
Have a friendly approachable person in charge of the move. One person who knows everything about the move, and can quickly answer any questions or concerns, is key to successfully orchestrating a stress-free reorganization or relocation.
Deborah Glew, of DGA Project & Relocations Management, has been an independent project manager for several large and small company moves and reorganizations over the past 12 years. She can be reached at (416) 410-7651 or [email protected].
