Part 2 of Access UK Commercial Director Chris Tossell’s ‘A framework for success’
As with any change management programme, it is not always possible – or desirable – to have all the intended changes in place from day one. In fact, a phased approach is often the most sensible route. It is important to make the physical, practical changes first, keeping staff focussed on the task in hand. Getting them involved – and understanding why the changes are being made – helps the business achieve its goals faster. There is also an increased sense of belonging to the initiative, and in turn, the company.
An added benefit is that these changes are easy for people to accept; in other words focus on what people identify with, that doesn’t impact on them personally. Whilst there are the obvious immediate compliance obligations, such as TUPE letters, where possible, deal with less critical employment terms and policies later. And don’t make change for change’s sake – the aim is to make everyone feel integrated as quickly as possible, using common platforms and systems.
By taking this approach, businesses will be able to implement operational and system changes at record speed. The time and cost efficiencies to be had by aligning systems and identifying the benefits in implementing them can be huge; which can be a good conversation starter for involving all stakeholders. Talk to staff about what is difficult now, what will help them and also build a picture of the practical benefits they will experience of any resultant changes; there has to be a commitment by the business to be as inclusive as possible.
At Access, for example, we merged five companies into one. This meant that the payroll administrator no longer had to run five separate payrolls, making utilisation efficiencies and, just as importantly, creating job satisfaction for the individual who was running them all. The firm was also able to station support services over multiple sites due to phone system technologies. Tools such as Communicator and Yammer, helped staff collaborate easily, and implementing a new HR system, using Access’ own HR software, empowered staff to take control of their own information.