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If you're a change practitioner, it's your job to prepare and equip people managers for their roles during change, which includes answering questions from the people on their teams. These common questions and answers can be a great resource for your people managers, especially when they're new to their change management role. When people managers are well prepared, they develop the confidence they need to successfully support front-line employees and teams through changes of all kinds.
Top Questions Employees Ask During Change
Our research and experience shows that people always have questions during organizational changes. These are the 10 most frequently asked questions:
- Why is change happening now?
- What is the risk of not changing?
- What is the rush?
- If I wait long enough, will the change just go away?
- What will the change mean to me?
- What are my choices?
- What are the benefits of supporting the change?
- What if I disagree with the change?
- What if they have tried before and failed?
- What if I am forced to do more for the same pay?
Understand how a change will impact your teams and prepare to answer common questions
with Prosci's Yesterday-Tomorrow Exercise.
Answering Employee Questions During Change
Anyone can use the questions and answers that follow as a foundation for a face-to-face Q&A session with people and teams during a change initiative. Every employee may not need answers to every question or the same questions. And each answer is more relevant and effective when tailored to your unique organization and change using data and specifics.
These common questions and answers are all part of building Awareness of the need for change, the first element of the Prosci ADKAR Model.
Answering Awareness-related questions enables employees to understand:
- Why is the change happening?
- What's in it for me? (WIIFM)
Lack of Awareness is often the number one cause of resistance behaviors among employees other people who are impacted by a change. Fortunately, it's the easiest resistance point to address, starting with the answers below.
1. Why is change happening now?
As an employee, you may feel like change is happening suddenly and that it is directed right at you. In reality, most changes begin outside the company many months or even years before internal changes take place. Research shows that most major business changes are a response to changes in the external marketplace.
These external marketplace changes can result in:
- Loss of market share (your company is losing money)
- New offers or capabilities by competitors (they're creating new business faster than your company)
- Lower prices (their cost of doing business is lower, resulting in better prices to their customers)
- A new business opportunity for growth
External business drivers take time to set in. If they have already affected your organization's bottom line, change is needed immediately. (In some cases it is already too late—the internal change should have started much sooner.)
2. What is the risk of not changing?
When external marketplace changes become apparent inside the organization, leaders and people managers suddenly realize the risks of not changing.
For businesses, the risk of not changing could mean:
- Loss of jobs (even at the executive level)
- Failure in the marketplace
- Bankruptcy or loss of revenue
For employees, the risk of not changing could mean:
- Job dissatisfaction
- Fewer opportunities for promotion
- Lower job security in the long term
- Immediate loss of employment
3. What is the rush?
Employees usually find out what's happening after the fact. Organizations do not always share financial information or talk about the organization's poor performance with employees. Therefore, when change is needed quickly, you may be taken by surprise.
On one hand, organizations are trying to implement change as quickly as possible. On the other hand, you are one step behind trying to understand why the change is needed and how you and your job will be impacted.
Most employees are in no hurry to change. In fact, you may not see the need to change at all. And if the organization forces employees to change when they do not understand the business reasons, it can be a lot like pushing a giant cube of gelatin—you might make an impact, but no real overall shift occurs. When the force is removed, everything returns to the way it was before.
4. If I wait long enough, will the change just go away?
If the financial success of an organization depends on a change, you can expect it to happen with or without you. Waiting usually will not change the outcome. In most cases, an organization will implement a change even when employees resist it, especially if financial success is at stake.
This does not imply that change will be bad for you. In the end, many changes result in positive outcomes for employees. Benefits might include better tools, improved work processes, more secure jobs, and new opportunities to advance your career.
5. What will the change mean to me?
Change to a business can include:
- New ways of doing work
- New systems or tools
- New reporting structures
- New job roles
- New products or services
- New markets or geographic locations
How will the change impact you? It depends on your current job, the extent of the change, and the choices you make in response to the change.
With small changes, you may not be impacted at all. With major changes, you may be doing new work, using new tools, or reporting to a new manager. With radical changes to the business, some employees may need to work in other departments or even move to other organizations.
When the change is implemented, each person will be affected differently. In the end, how you react to the change plays an important role in how the change will impact you. In other words, you are in control of how you respond to change. Better yet, how the organization views you and your future role in the company may depend on your response to change and the choices you make.
6. What are my choices?
Your choices about how to respond to change will vary as the organization moves through the change process. Think about the change in these time periods:
- When the change is first announced – but before the change is implemented
- During the change process – when the new solution is being deployed
- After the change is in place – following the implementation of the solution
Your choices and the consequences depend on the phase of change you are experiencing. In some cases, choices you make may have negative outcomes. They may be bad for you and for the organization. Other choices you make will benefit you and enhance your ability to thrive in a changing organization.
7. What are the benefits of supporting the change?
The benefits of supporting the change, especially changes that are critical to the success of the organization, include:
- Enhanced respect and reputation within the organization
- Improved growth opportunities (especially for active supporters of the change)
- Increased job satisfaction (knowing you are helping your organization respond effectively to a rapidly changing marketplace)
- Improved job security
8. What if I disagree with the change?
What if you feel they are fixing the wrong problem? Be patient. Keep an open mind. Make sure you understand the business reasons for the change. However, don't be afraid to voice your specific objections or concerns. If your objections are valid, chances are good they will come to light and be resolved. If you feel strongly against a specific element of the change, let the right people know, and do it in an appropriate manner.
9. What if they have tried before and failed?
The history of your company may include some previous change projects that failed. If failure is what employees are accustomed to, the organization will have a hard time erasing the past. For organizations to be successful, everyone must be prepared to accept the past as history and focus on what lies ahead.
10. What if I am forced to do more for the same pay?
When your organization is undergoing a change, this usually means that new processes, systems or skills are required. Your role in the changed environment may include learning these new processes or acquiring new skills. Indeed, some of your responsibilities may change.
Compensation for the old way of doing things may actually decrease as the organization values that work less and less. However, compensation for new work may increase as the value for new services and products increases. This is a part of change.
Change Management and Employee Questions
These common questions are not the only questions you'll encounter as a change leader or people manager, and there are certainly a number of "what if" scenarios that require deeper conversations and guidance. But understanding how people feel during change, the questions they (and you) will ask, and preparing for thoughtful conversations can help employees achieve greater Awareness—so they can start to transition through the change successfully.
