How to Prepare for a Company Restructure

Once anyone hears the word restructure, they immediately become nervous and worried about what’s to come. Depending on previous experiences, restructuring can mean different things to employees. But, one meaning that is always shared amongst everyone, is that restructuring means change. Employees, and humans in general, do not always welcome change with open arms. That’s due to the fact that employees tend to like routine, especially when it comes to work and their daily tasks that they are familiar and comfortable with.

So, as an HR personnel or a manager in your company, how can you prepare for the upcoming change? Bayt.com is here to help you every step of the way!

Plan Ahead

Restructuring takes a lot of thought. It’s never an easy decision when top management decides to implement significant changes to the company structure. But, your role in HR mandates you to create a plan for the employees so that they can prepare for the new roles they might be taking over.

What You’ll Need:

1. New job descriptions, with clear tasks and expected results.
2. Prepare any training courses or training sessions for employees who will be taking on new roles.
3. Create a new organizational chart so that employees know who they’ll be reporting to.

Acknowledge the Change

If you pretend like the restructure isn’t going to affect your organization, you won’t be able to get your employees to embrace the change. The best way to go about it is to include yourself as part of the change. Connect with your employees on an emotional and professional level to show them that you really understand what they’re about to go through. Here are a few points you should cover:

1. Let employees know how the restructure is going to affect your job role as well, and how you plan to cope with it.
2. Tell employees how you know the change isn’t going to be easy, but it’s going to be a smooth process due to your detailed plan.
3. Make sure they’re aware that all their needs will be addressed as part of your plan, and that they’ll never have a question left unanswered.
4. If, by any chance, some employees need to be let go due to the restructure, be honest and straightforward with them. The sooner they know, the more time they’ll have to look for a new opportunity. Be lenient and make sure to give them enough time to prepare and find a new job.

Construct an Effective Communication System

Communication is one of the key elements to the success of any business. It becomes an even more vital element in the case of restructuring. Any concerns, increased pressures, or demands that are left unaddressed will affect your employees’ performance and job satisfaction. Outline the following points to every single employee and make sure that they become actionable points:

1. Inform them of an open-door policy that exists/will be implemented during the restructure.
2. Advise them to communicate openly, honestly, and effectively so that their concerns and fears are tended to.
3. Let them know that if they have any objections towards their new job role/tasks, it’s okay to speak up before it’s too late and there’s no room to change the restructuring layout.

Remain Positive

Attitude can be contagious. Because restructuring is directly related to change, there will definitely be negativity lingering around the organization. That’s why it is very important to remain positive and reinforcing. If you lose your positive spirit and attitude, it will spread faster than you think. Take a look at a few ideas that you can use to remain positive:

1. Conduct a team activity where everyone can share their concerns together, and have them addressed by their new manager/supervisor.
2. Introduce new team members to each other and let them know what each one will be responsible for.
3. Let each and every employee know how vital their new role is for the continual success of the organization.

Prepare for Your Talent Needs

Restructuring your organization doesn’t always mean cutting back on employees. Because different employees will be handling all new sorts of job tasks, you may want to consider hiring a few extra personnel in order to assist with the new structure of your organization.

As always, Bayt.com is here to help you with anything your business needs.If you require new hires for your restructure, you can check out our job posting recruitment solution, or search through almost 30 million CVs in our database to find the perfect hire. If you’d like to learn more about how to compensate your employees with their new job roles, download this free report on compensation trends for 2017!