Breaking the Mold: How to Communicate Change in a Modern Workplace

One thing is clear to us – all corporate communication is about change. Nobody ever asks for help to communicate that everything will stay exactly the same as it is forever. Just look at what ChatGTP has managed to do in less than 60 days of this publishing.

Sure, sometimes you are sharing a good change and sometimes a bad one. Depending on the audience, the same news may be seen as a good thing by one group and awful news for another. 

So what do we know about change? 

First off, change is scary. Regardless of perception, change breeds anxiety for those who have to communicate it and those receiving the message.

Studies show that even positive events can increase people’s stress levels. But there are some things that good leaders can do to help people accept change and move forward positively.

Model the Response

Leadership is similar to parenting in that you need to model the behavior you want to see. There's a maturity level expected of executives, and that includes modeling the way they want employees to react when it comes to change.

High-performing companies have common characteristics when conveying changes that some may consider negative. Executives are honest and consistent in their messages. They demonstrate their own humanity as a leader. 

Take, for example, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. He is relatable, credible, and accessible. He has shared how his son’s disability taught him empathy. When he makes a mistake, he admits it.

His message is consistent across different events and different audiences. Communications are uniform regardless of whether they are sent by email, on Twitter, or on LinkedIn. He expresses the same clear messages internally as he does externally to customers and shareholders.

If you are a Microsoft employee, you feel like there is a grown-up in charge at the company. There are no discrepancies or room for misinterpretation.

All Communication is External

Savvy leaders like Nadella know that all communication is external. In today’s world, executives should expect and plan for internal documents to become public information. Nadella and Microsoft provide a unified front with no discrepancies between what they communicate to employees versus consumers. 

Contradictions between internal and external messaging will create a trust gap for everyone concerned. Modern employees are not willing to be complicit in covering for discrepancies between the values leaders espouse in public and the way they communicate internally.

While employees expect for communication to be transparent and public, they also want to feel heard when it comes to changes. Today’s executives must understand that the time for top-down corporate communication has passed.

Dialogue eases the stress of change and builds buy-in for a decision. When employees feel their voice is heard, they will view the ultimate outcome more favorably. The challenge for the modern executive is to find a way to create a two-way channel for employees to ask questions, provide feedback, and express concerns.

Change is Constant

As change is constant, communications need to reflect that. 

Under-communicating is another mistake that companies make. Some companies feel the need to save all their corporate communication efforts for big announcements – or worse yet, only negative messages. 

Leaders need to normalize corporate communications and acknowledge when a change is occurring. Employees feel better about changes when they are not a complete surprise. 

Likewise, employee anxiety diminishes when leaders give a clear picture of what will be involved in a change. Executives should ensure all communications include the pertinent information – who, what, when, where, and why.

What seems like a small change to an executive can be significant for employees. Similarly, what a leader may see as a positive development may be taken as bad news by some people.

Consider a company real estate decision – combining two locations into a bigger facility. An executive looks at that and thinks this isn’t a big deal. No jobs will be lost, and operations will stay the same. 

However, the audience for this announcement might see it differently: My commute just became twice as far! I don’t like the guy who works on the other side of town, and now, he will be there every day! 

Savvy leaders approach internal or minor communications with the same level of attention that they give major announcements. Not necessarily the same fanfare, but the same honesty, authenticity, and humanity.