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By IAN HARVEY

It s not change that disruptsworkplaces attendees at theHRPA 2016 Conference in

Toronto heard during an earlybird breakout session It s theresolute fear which conies with it

Motivational speaker DeniseRyan peppered the room with ahigh energy interactive presentation around how to conquer thosefears both at the management ofchange level and as employeesShe noted there are severalproven steps and processes whichcan help soothe those fears andembrace change

In fact Ryan said based onher experiences acceptingchange and learning to adapthave become the starting pointsof some of the best moments inher life

People don t like changeshe said We know that Some86 per cent of people in onesurvey said they felt stress fromchange on the job and said theyneeded help

Interestingly some 42 percent said they were fine but theirco workers needed help And 14per cent said change had made

them feel like striking coworkers and that s only theones who admitted itToday s workplaces have

become more stressful in someaspects she said simply becauseof the way work itself ischanging

Sometimes that change andstress creeps up unnoticed Openoffices are much more the normand collaboration is the buzzword of the day though there isgrowing evidence for being ableto shut out the world and diveinto the required work withoutinterruptions

Cal Newport has a great newbook on this called Deep WorkRules for Focused Success in aDistracted World and I highlyrecommended it she saidSometimes we do need to do

deep workOther changes are suddenly

thrust upon the staff she saidsuch as layoffs during a downsizing or the announcement of amerger or company sale Humanresources professionals are mostoften at the heart of change management she said and it s notalways a comfortable place

When things get bumpy theycall HR she said adding thereare five steps in dealing withchange every management professional should knowFirst she said is to really

understand the change beingdealt with and the ramificationson all aspects of the workplaceThe shift to open offices and collaboration that Newport aGeorgetown University professor discusses in Deep Workhas had unforeseen impacts andcreated stress for manyemployees

Also we need to think aboutthe end result of what we want

from this change whether thechange is a certainty or just amaybe she said Sometimeswe worry about changes thataren t going to happen Is thischange in the past

Sometimes people don t getover changes even years laterthey re still hung up on it Or isthis change going to happen inthe future

The next step is to determinewho or what is in control of theimpact the change is going tohave on you she said

Managing change often about managing fear

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If you are in control then youcan either reject it or accept itshe said

By rejecting it you can justquit she said though that s notalways an option Or you canaccept it and go with it and seewhat happens

The third step she said isthen to choose your style in howyou arre going to deal with ormanage the change being thrustupon you

You can compromise shesaid by accepting the change butwork in some other changes toyour benefit

Sure I ll work harder and formore hours but I want a flexiblework schedule Ryan suggestedas an example

More problematic is passiveresistance she said That swhere you announce the changes

and no one says anything but assoon as the meeting endseveryone runs into the breakroom and starts complainingabout it

It s important for HR professional s especially to recognizethe different reactions to changeand the personality styles whichcome with it

Sometimes you realize thatan action strategy isn t going towork she said such as quittingthe job But you can reframehow you see the change

For example she said hermother died suddenly and thechange was overwhelming

But I realized that my motherwho was 65 and still working andbringing home work and planning to relax when she retiredwas very independent she saidI realized it would have beenworse for her had it been a longillness

There are also hidden lessonsshe said which can also help in

dealing with changeI had to have a hip replace

ment and I learned I could askpeople for help and they lovedhelping me she said I hatedthe thought of asking but I hadto

The fourth major step in managing change is setting realisticexpectations both in communicating the change to employeesand the impact as an employee

We tend to set unrealistic

expectations like we re going tolose 20 pounds in the first weekof that diet she said If thechange involves new skills andhabits it s going to take time tomaster them You really need tolower your expectations in mostcases because it s harder to have

high expectations around changeAs they say plan for the worstand hope for the bestPart of that is opting out of

the pity party Ryan saidRuminating over the past is

only going to make youdepressed she said I knowI ve had to talk myself off theledge a couple of times You haveto gain control of your thoughtsand yes you can do it

Change in the workplace isinevitable and usually permanent she said so we all need toadjust with that in mind

Remember back in 2008they said we should just buckledown and work harder and we dget back to where we were sheasked Er no We re never goingback

When it comes to pushingback against change it s best topick your spots because you can tfight every change she advisedIf the change involves new skillsand habits it s going to take timeto master them

And if you re managingchange you have to pick your

style she continued Your natural instinct and style may not bethe best one to deal with that

situation so you have to be flexible

Ryan said the last step is communications As an HR managerthe key is to communicate clearlyand often and employees need toknow what is going on and howit affects them and their coworkers

You have to manage thefear she said You can t justsend out an email announce themerger and a new logo and thenyawn we re done

The roll out and follow upsshould be executed with passionas if the family was sitting downto pick a new vacation spot

It has to be a positive campaign and one amplified andchampioned by leaders at everylevel from the CEO down to thejunior managers and supervisors

You have to paint a compelling vision of the future And youcan t communicate enoughbecause for the employees it salways going to be about howdoes this affect me me me It sall about themInformation that can dispel

fears and give a clear vision ofthat future is critical and must be

disseminated quickly she notedWe can t predict the future

but as I said things whichseemed disasters at the timeturned out to be change forgood

As such she referred toIndian leader Mahatma Gandhiin her closing Be the changeyou wish to see in the worldExtrapolated she said it

means if you want people to treateach other more nicely starttreating people more nicely andextend the concept to every areaof life both personal and workrelated



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