Latest updated: 19 January 2023

When reorganizing the business, it is important to understand the employees' concerns about the change, and communication and leadership play a crucial role in this. It is important to give employees time to process the change and the opportunity to ask questions that are answered as honestly and sincerely as possible.

Reorganization is a painful but sometimes necessary process that all businesses face on a regular basis. It often leads to anxiety, fear, and sometimes anger among employees, which employers or leaders must understand and handle appropriately.

There can be several reasons for a business to need reorganization or restructuring, such as changes in the market that the business operates in, changes in customer needs or behavior, or economic conditions that require the organization to become smaller and more efficient. The reasons can vary, but one thing is certain: change is an inevitable part of life and society.

The employee wants to know their role

The fact that employees become anxious and afraid of a reorganization does not necessarily mean that they dislike all forms of change. But they have a legitimate concern about what the change will mean for them. Will they lose their job? Will they be relocated? Will they have a new manager or end up in a new team? How do you know that the change is for the better?

In short, the employee wants to know their place in the new organization that will emerge. It is a fully legitimate question that employers and leaders in the organization must do their best to preserve.

Communication is key when carrying out a reorganization or restructuring. You must communicate a lot and at all levels. Information meetings with employees should be supplemented with information in writing, such as emails or other correspondence.

But it is also important that each individual employee has the opportunity to talk to their manager and ask their own questions about the reorganization. Team meetings and information meetings should therefore be complemented by one-on-one meetings, where the manager is attentive, answers questions that can be answered and promises to return if the question cannot yet be answered.

Plan for emotional storms

It is important to give employees time to process the change. Keep in mind that you in the management probably have known about the reorganization for a longer time than the employees - therefore, it may be important to let them catch up, mentally. People may need time to think and feel how a change feels, and then they may need to come back with new, supplementary questions, but also with objections, ideas and suggestions.

Reorganizations often lead to conflicts and emotional storms, and you as employers or leaders need to prepare and plan for this. Here, communication is key again. You need to think through how you will handle employees raising their voices, criticizing you and taking a stance against certain changes, both at work and in their free time when communicating with the outside world (including through social media and the like). Try to handle this in a wise and empathetic way, but be clear that you stand for the changes you want to implement.

In other words, a reorganization should always be accompanied by a communication strategy, so that you know how to inform the employees in the right way and handle their reactions. The communication should be characterized by honesty, there is no reason to paint the situation. Treat employees as adult humans who can handle the truth and understand difficult decisions or uncomfortable truths. But do it with empathy and understanding of their concern.

Measure and reward progress

Also, make sure that employees get the support they need to find their role in the new organization. They may need coaching, skill development or internal guidance to land correctly in the change. It also requires that you as leaders are patient and that you at the same time show that you trust the employee.

Last but not least, it is important that employees know how the reorganization is going, whether it leads to the desired results. By measuring and showing any progress, you can strengthen employees' motivation and create a sense that the change is for the better. Do not forget to give employees feedback on their development and rewards for their efforts and progress.

Reorganization and restructuring pose great challenges, but if handled correctly, they often lead to better results for the business - and in the best case, also to more engaged and motivated employees.