Managing Change in the Workplace

Change can be one of the most difficult obstacles to overcome in the work environment. Whether it’s a new employee adjusting to rules and responsibilities, or someone who has been on the job for years, breaking old habits and learning new tasks can be overwhelming. As managers, our challenge is to make change easier for our employees. This is not a simple task, but there are ways to make the transition a little easier.

There are many reasons why change can be difficult for people. For one, I think that the older we get the more we appreciate predictability in our lives. We like to know that we will show up at work and see the same people, work at the same station, and perform a function that is familiar to us. We get comfortable. Sure some days are busier than others and offer certain challenges, but overall we feel pretty confident about what is expected and how we will accomplish our tasks. Change can disrupt this predictability and cause a great deal of distress among employees.

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