A change in business strategy can often trigger redundancies. Mike Fletcher looks at how coaching can support both managers and those leaving an organisation and ease the transition process.
Facing up to uncertain economic headwinds, many organisations are switching tack.
According to a Mindheat survey of almost 200 companies across four sectors (IT, Financial Services, Pharma and Energy), fast-growing companies are swapping revenue and user growth at any cost, for higher expectations around profitability and long-term business sustainability. For many, this means consolidation and change.
Handled well, change can produce the intended outcome of a more streamlined and profitable business. However, if handled poorly, change can cause long-lasting damage to workplace morale, trust, and a business’s bottom line.
The science underscores the negative consequences of badly handled change. For example, necessary redundancies can create ripple effects throughout an organisation. Productivity may decline and the risk of losing valued remaining colleagues increases. This resulting atmosphere of uncertainty and lowered morale can severely hinder an organisation’s ability to move forward effectively.
Investing in coaching support for managers tasked with communicating anticipated and real changes impacting roles is therefore crucial.
Four ways coaching helps manage the transition process
- It helps those managing the redundancy process to understand the likely concerns and questions that colleagues around them may have.
- It ensures that their methods of communication are appropriate, uncomfortable conversations are handled sensitively, and difficult messages are delivered with empathy and clarity.
- For those being made redundant, organisations have a duty of care to minimise any detrimental impact on employees’ self-worth, identity and well-being.
- ‘Outplacement’ or as we call it, ‘Career Transition’ helps people come to terms with what has happened. It helps them to understand their priorities (values, drivers, and responsibilities), and identify their desired future direction of travel and how best to move forward.
Coaching is fundamentally all about helping people through change. Career Transition is a coaching service Mindbeat provides for employees leaving a business due to organisational restructuring to help them prepare and transition into new roles with greater focus, confidence and success.
It could be anything from career guidance and setting future goals to more practical approaches such as interview techniques, CV writing and how to build someone’s personal brand.
Our coaches have deep experience in supporting individuals navigating organisational restructuring. They’re trained to provide a safe space for your people to come to terms with job loss and turn what can feel like a challenging and disempowering circumstance into an opportunity to refocus, own and activate new career transitions.
This investment in development not only eases the immediate crisis but also demonstrates a level of respect and care by the organisation, which can go a long way in maintaining employee engagement, productivity, loyalty and trust in the organisation’s leadership going forward.
When managers are given the right coaching tools to support everyone’s well-being during this stressful time, they are empowered to motivate and retain their remaining team members while giving departing colleagues every chance of future success.
Get in touch today to discuss career transition coaching with Mindbeat,
