Why are you making my desk smaller? What do you mean I don’t get an office anymore? Where am I supposed to sit if I don’t have an assigned space? As the workplace evolves, and companies update their office environment, questions and concerns from team members come from all directions. Even the most well-thought-out design can be derailed. Change management is an often-overlooked practice, but it can play a significant role in easing the transition into a new workplace environment. While change management has many aspects, we are going to briefly discuss three: communication, engagement, and transition planning.
Change management starts and ends with communication, and at a minimum, needs to answer questions about why the change is happening and what value it creates. Most importantly, information must be clearly presented and address the concerns of employees while communicating the overall benefit to the entire organization. Developing a communication plan prior to starting design establishes a framework and sets expectations to stay ahead of the inevitable questions that can derail a successful transformation.
Establishing an engagement strategy can ease the transition and provide a means for team members to participate in the design process. Using several different engagement tactics will prove to be most effective. The easiest and most cost-effective tool is conducting an online survey. Team members can offer input on a wide range of subjects from daily routines to personal needs to aesthetic preferences. Surveys are a way to gather substantial amounts of data from staff that will provide your design team with valuable information to inform planning and design strategies.
Creating opportunities for in-person engagement humanizes the design process. Focus groups or town halls open dialogue between the design team, senior staff, and team members. Arranging in-person tours through other workplaces, furniture dealers, or show rooms will help evolve perceptions. If tours aren’t feasible, your design team can work with dealers to set up mockups or bring in sample furniture for people to experience. At Fishbeck, we run a prototyping workshop to have teams create their preferred workspace. Ultimately, engagement allows for people to voice their opinions and concerns, which is often the biggest hurdle to overcome when making a change.
As the construction of your new workplace comes to completion, the real transition begins. Using the information gathered in the engagement sessions will help shape the transition plan and anticipate your team’s needs. For many, this will be the first time using the new space as intended and will likely take time to gain a true understanding of the environment. Your transition plan should clearly state expectations of use, where to find resources, assigned seating, policies, and who to contact for assistance. Having staff readily available to answer questions or receive additional feedback will help relieve tension. Most importantly, leaders need to be seen representing the culture and behaviors expected in the new workplace and embracing the transition. Overall, change takes time, but establishing a clear transition plan will provide your team with the resources needed to make the change go smoothly.
When planning any type of workplace update, it is important to think about how the changes will affect every staff member. Having a comprehensive change management plan will not only make the transition easier, it will also help mitigate any organizational crisis. At Fishbeck, our design team will not only deliver an exceptional workplace environment, but also support your team’s transition and guide you through the entire process to ensure success all around.
