Imagine the scenario: it’s just been announced there’s going to be an organisational restructure. Most people will have to apply for new roles. Although the C-suite is saying all the right things, a lot of people are not feeling it, and line managers are looking for support. They feel isolated and doubt their ability to support their teams through the restructuring process. Where on earth do they start? And what can you do to help them?
As the HR contact, you should immediately set up an initial meeting with the line managers you support, and make it clear what the meeting is about. To make things as easy as possible, attach all relevant documents to your email and carefully plan the agenda, to ensure that all the key points are covered.
Open the meeting by trying to get a sense of how each individual manager is coping, what their plans are and where they might need targeted support. Let them know that this is the first of several meetings and you are available to help them through the process whenever they need it.
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Keep calm and carry on
Make it clear that, in the short term, nothing has changed: they should carry on doing their job in the same way. Be mindful that some managers may be tempted to anticipate the effects of the restructure and change their routine, for example by stopping some tasks or meeting people they don’t normally work with.
Make it clear that they need to wait for the restructuring process to be completed, as changes of routine could be a waste of time and may even be misinterpreted by their team. They should model the behaviour they expect from their team and, as far as possible, behave as normal.
Stay on message
Discuss the importance of sticking to the facts and avoiding speculation. Remind managers that they should be as clear as possible; if there are no updates, then that is the message, but when they know something, they should share it and avoid the team hearing the latest news from someone else.
Reinforce the necessity for clear communication and remind managers that most people need to hear things more than once for the message to land. Advise managers to plan their communications to team members, to ensure everyone is in the loop. Ensure that managers are aware that any team members who may be on leave or otherwise away from the office also need to be included.
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Support the team
Be aware that some of the managers you support may not be naturally empathetic. Advise them that one way to demonstrate empathy is by making sure they are visible and available to their team; they should plan their time accordingly. Suggest using the opportunity of one-to-one meetings to ask open questions and listen to the replies without interruption.
Suggest that it will be supportive to take any concerns or questions the team may have to senior management and relay any responses back to the team.
Discuss the possible impact of the restructuring process on the psychological contract so that managers are fully aware this is a worrying time for everyone. Whilst some team members may see opportunities, others may feel demotivated.
End meetings by reiterating that HR's door is always open and they are not alone.
Philippa Spratt is co-founder of Traction Coaching
