Change – How to Survive Tip 1
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Change is most definitely in the air at the moment. But actually there is rarely a time when change is not with us – thankfully, or we’d still be scratching our heads wondering if a wheel might be a good idea or not!
I work in a lot of organisations who are undergoing change and the initial response is nearly always the same. Employees feel threatened and anxious, sickness levels go up, productivity suffers. And the toll on individuals can be enormous.
That’s the downside. But don’t forget change can also be hugely positive! It’s hard to remember that when change is being imposed but you will probably have had as many positive experiences of change in your life as negative ones. It’s just that we remember the negative ones so much more clearly!
If you are experiencing a lot of uncertainty in your personal life, a change at work over which you have no control can be the final straw. The Holmes and Rahe stress scale is still a useful guide to thinking about the impact more change might have on you.
Managing Change Tip
My first tip is to take a look at it, see how you rate and then take steps to look after yourself. It might be that you join up with a friend to help and support each other, or make sure you are eating healthily and look after yourself physically. Or find out what is on offer in your organisation to help you – mentoring, counselling, even subsidised gym membership!
Resolve now not to be a victim of the changes but take some control where you can.
This is the first in a series on managing change. If you want to be certain of getting every post you can sign up for them simply by putting your email address in box at top of this page. And you can unsubscribe at any time.
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I suppose people feel so threatened by change because there can be genuine losers. Until they know where they stand it is easy to respond more strongly to the threat than the opportunity.
Absolutely. It’s an instinctive response I think, to want to protect what you have against the threat of the unknown. The adrenalin kicks in! And unfortunately, so many organisations seem to become so focussed on the end result that they forget the processes that employees (who have far less knowledge usually) must go through. Are you undergoing change at the moment?