Leading change

Leading through change: Your check-in add-on

5 minutes

After a workforce change is announced, it’s only human nature for people to be left wondering: “Will it be me” or “Am I next?”

Whether the change involves redundancies, redeployment, or new reporting structures, trust, collaboration, and stability can be at all-time lows until the change is completed. To shift this, it’s important for people to feel connected to their team, leaders, and organisation.

According to EY’s Belonging Barometer study, regular check-ins can make employees feel a strong sense of belonging at work, with up to a 45% increase across different generations.

Regular weekly check-ins can help maintain alignment, address immediate concerns, and provide consistent support. Consider incorporating these questions into your check-ins to best support your team.

Component

Sentence starter

Restate and repeat the bigger picture

In the coming weeks/months, our collective goal as a team/organisation is to ensure that we...

Is there anything unclear or confusing that has been communicated so far?

Support

How are you, really?

What worries you the most? (Don’t assume you know.)

What do you need to take care of yourself?

How can I support you?

Align their priorities

Let's align your priorities between now and X. If it were up to you, what would you prioritise or postpone? Here are my thoughts...

What tasks can we remove or defer to make space for your most critical work?

In the words of Stephen Porges, “Safety is not just the absence of threat; it is also the presence of connection.” It is important for people to feel seen and heard during moments of uncertainty. Scheduling regular one-on-one meetings where individuals can express themselves, share their thoughts and concerns, and be actively listened to is essential.

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