Employee vs Employer Change Mindset

Employee vs Employer Change Mindset
We know from change management simulation data that even those leaders who try to effect organizational change according to the “change management book” often ignore the fundamental change management difference in mindset between their view of the business and their employees’ view of the business.

The Mindset of Employers
Broadly speaking, employers are looking to increase profits and productivity in a way that makes sense to them. Employers want a steadily improving, predictable, and hassle-free level of performance from their workers.

The Mindset of Employees
Employees, on the other hand, are looking for fair compensation, job security and advancement, and safety in their workplace. Most employees (especially Millennials) are also looking for some choice in what, how and when they do their jobs.

The Difference — Employee vs Employer Change Mindset
The difference in how employers and employees view the organization and what they want out of it fundamentally affects the way they look at almost everything — but especially organizational change.

What to Do As a Leader
It is critical that change leaders look at both sides when you first consider organizational change and then before you communicate change to the troops.  For example, let’s say you are considering an organizational change initiative around your customer service strategy.

Your View as the Employer

• Instead of pushing your employees toward handling more customer calls per day, you want to focus on the level of customer centricity, satisfaction, and repeat business.
• In other words you believe quality and loyalty, not speed and quantity, are what will benefit the organization the most.
• From the employer’s point of view, you have determined that the new strategy will yield higher customer satisfaction, increased customer loyalty, and greater revenues.

The View of Your Employees

• Now from the customer service employees’ point of view, this change will most likely rock their world.
• They will now be held to a different standard and will probably need to undergo more customer service training in how to better listen to the customer, elicit their real needs, learn what solutions are possible, and ensure the customer is happy with the outcome of the phone call.
• This changes their level of security in their job and how they think, behave, and feel at work.

How to Better Communicate the Change to Improve Employee vs Employer Change Mindset
The way you as the employer communicate the change is critical.

• The rationale for the change needs to be put forth in a way that shows empathy for the employees who need to adopt new behaviors vis-à-vis their customers.
• It is important to show a clear and compelling vision for change that will benefit both the organization and the customer service reps.
• Highlight the inherent dissatisfaction with the current situation from their point of view.
• Show how they can find more satisfaction and meaning in their role at work once they learn how to truly satisfy customers rather than just push on to the next phone call as they did before.
• Ask for the employees’ help in defining new performance standards and best practices.
• As they feel more involved in the change and its implementation, they will have more commitment to its success.

The Bottom Line
Show that you care not only about the organization’s bottom line but that you care about your employees’ well-being. Actively include employees in your deliberations and encourage them to express their questions and concerns.

When you take their perspective into account along with your leadership perspective on securing the company’s future health, you can narrow the gap between how you and your employees look at the world.

To learn more about how to ensure you and your workforce are pulling in the same direction, Download Change Toolkit for Leaders