Blog: 3 ways to initiate change in your employees

How do you get your employees to change? Take a look at our 3 top tips to help!

Changing behaviour can be really challenging within the working environment, and outside it too! Have you ever tried to eat healthier? Do more exercise? Quit smoking? If so, then you’ll know what I mean.

There are so many factors that can influence this including; social, personal, cultural and organisational. Getting the right balance of all of these factors can be very difficult.

Here are three tips that we believe you can adopt today, and make a change for the better in your organisation:

1. Organisation goals – When sharing your company goals with employees and the behaviour change that is required in order to achieve them, don’t summon them. Talk to them in a positive way and ask them for their opinions too. This way you can both work together, rather than speaking from the powers above, as this can make someone feel more like they’re being told what to do, rather than encouraging them to change, it can have the opposite effect. If you have recognition awards in your organisation, this can also be a positive way to reinforce the changes that need to take place in order to reach the overall goal
2. Realistic approach – Be realistic. Everyone knows that when trying to create a change in someone’s behaviour this can take time. Naturally, people are more at peace with change when they know the goals set are more achievable, rather than just plunging straight in at the deep end, as this can be daunting to some. Set goals into small steps and watch them achieve in little stages, but still thinking of the end goal to ensure they don’t stray off track. This can also provide a huge sense of achievement and can boost morale. They are achieving ten goals rather than one
3. Focus – Concentrating on one particular behaviour at a time will help with a core focal point for the individual to target and accomplish. This goes hand in hand with the realistic approach – setting goals in little steps rather whilst still having the end goal in mind

Trying to change the behaviour in another person can be hard, and it is not something that can be done overnight. It can take time, patience and skill – but this will vary from employee to employee. Change can be scary for some. Ensuring you are able to provide a safe and open environment where your employees can exhibit new or changed behaviours is essential to helping them feel at ease. Using questions to help them discover their own motivators for change, experiences, and communicating the benefits, you can work together to explore the positive and negative consequences.

By listening to your employees, understanding their points of view, and aligning their capabilities with the overarching goal of the organisation, in a leadership position, you must be able to set expectations and coach them into changing for the better in themselves and in the business.