Negative reaction to new initiative I led on

[lurchersforever]

How do you deal with this?

I am in a leadership role and this is the first big thing I've led on, despite being in the role for a few years. This is the first thing that is going to shake up people's working practices and affect their day to day working life. It needs to happen and obviously I was tasked to do this by my boss, who is everyone's boss. I am well-qualified to lead on it and have done a huge amount of research.

The backlash has been quite strong and I'm feeling a bit under-attack. I feel people are resistant to change and, frankly, in some cases, just don't want to put the work in, but ultimately I have failed to win them over, which must be on me. Boss is supportive but I think feels I haven't communicated this properly so also a bit disappointed. We have made some concessions now which, while not the end of the world (or the project) do have the potential to dilute it somewhat.

Some people who I thought had a level of respect for me and a positive working relationship have pushed back, which has been hurtful, while a couple of others are 'usual suspects'. Other than learning from it how else can I deal with this?

I feel for you. I work in the NHS as a manager and feel that sometimes people just aren’t happy with anything. An example is that for years in my trust we’ve been fighting for the band 2s (old title would have been auxiliary nurse) for them to get a band 3. They’ve now been given the band 3 which is brilliant, but been told that if they don’t want the promotion they have 2 weeks to let their manager know. They literally have to do nothing except confirm that they are accepting the new banding and pay, no change to their roll at all. No new tasks/responsibilities.

Some are so angry that they have 2 weeks to decide. They’re saying they should have longer as they’ve been fighting for years so why should they only get 2 weeks. Not a single one of them is going to say no, to turn it down, so why does 2 weeks matter?? Still they are angry and feel being given 2 weeks is an insult.

Sometimes I really feel that nothing is ever good enough, that some people will pick fault with anything

If the ringleaders won’t leave but you delay the change for a while, then support for them will start to drop off.
My company brought about a big change and there was quite forceful push back. A few months later, redundancy started as business has dropped in revenue quite a bit. The ring leader opposing the change was made redundant, she cried it was because she was fighting back on the change but the reason was her precise job and the hours she was doing.
Everyone dropped the push back within an instant.
If I am not happy at a job, I leave and find a place where I am happy. I don’t understand this new age culture of fighting the hand that feeds you.

Some empathy might be helpful for you, OP. How would you feel if your working practices were shaken up without your input or consent?

"This is the first thing that is going to shake up people's working practices and affect their day to day working life"

Oh dear. People really don't like having their regular routines and working practices shaken up, nor do they enjoy having their day to day working life messed about with. However good the reason, and even if they understand and accept why it is being done, they still won't like it. Not one bit.

"I feel people are resistant to change"

That's human nature for you.

"and frankly, in some cases, just don't want to put the work in"

People don't like having to do extra work in order to adapt to change, especially when they have not been given a choice in the matter, even more so if they haven't been part of the consultation process.

My old boss used to say that you should never treat your staff like mushrooms: in other words - kept in the dark and fed on shit. Make of that what you will.

But if you have been inspected and found wanting surely it doesn't come as a surprise when change ensues? There are many other indications that things aren't working as well.

Kindly, I think you've been a little naive if you thought people would embrace the change. It really depends on the industry and culture, but most people don't like change or hard work, unless maybe you work somewhere that's quite cutting edge with lots of enthusiastic workers. Just look on here when people can't bear the thought of even going into the office.

Teaching? Sounds familiar anyway. Sometimes you have to be running with it before people recognise the value of the change.

It will not matter what your reasons are, even if they are to better the business. People do not like working practice change.

The best thing you can do is implement the change and then ride it out in terms of the moaning and complaining. The best thing they can do is accept it or move on.

change management is a whole "science" you need to approach very carefully.

In essence: identify the staunch resisters and make a note of who they are. Then identify the ones who approach all challenges with gusto, and who are also motivators and the types who encourage others. Get them on board and let them loose on everyone else while you concentrate on the resisters. If necessary you can do a "it's my way or the highway" with them.

But give people an opportunity to talk about the changes, what management expectations are, what reservations people have about it and why.

Look at it honestly. Is it going to cause them more work? More effort, more stress? what is their reward for that (and the answer is not: still having a job)

work together to make the change happen. Some carrot, some stick (but not too much) and be prepared to listen.

Full consultation wasn't an option due to timescales and also it was felt that it would open up too many options and ideas that would never have been taken up, which might well have caused even more hostility.

oh dear. No. Well you know for next time.

You have to put effort into change. That's why so many people get paid to help companies do it.

Have the staff as individuals been found wanting, or is it to do with processes in the organisation as a whole, which filter down and affect everyone?

Employees resent having massive organisational changes dumped on them if they think the people at the top have fouled up. They also resent it when what they always did was apparently fine before, but now they're being told it is not fine after all. There are few things worse than feeling like you are being blamed for something that isn't your fault.

yep, i think it's important to identify if it is individuals or processes that need the change.

It is no good saying "this is how we're doing it now" especially if it is seen as coming from above, from people who are not involved in the day-to-day.

And sometimes smaller tweaks on some things give a much better outcome, then bigger tweaks, etc.

You mention a poor inspection. So actually there is probably limited space for consultation. Given that you say Service Users are we talking a care home or day centre or similar? This also means that if change needs to happen it needs to happen fast for vulnerable peoples quality of life. And a couple of upset staff may just be collateral damage.

but if it is a care home, staff can't be "collateral damage" because recruiting new staff is an expensive nightmare.

if it's public sector, surely there are mechanisms within that for proper change management?

The middle leaders are the ones you need on board to make sure this lands properly. Can you do some more work with them around how it looks in their areas?

Totally agree with @brefugee.

They also resent it when what they always did was apparently fine before, but now they're being told it is not fine after all. There are few things worse than feeling like you are being blamed for something that isn't your fault.

I'd say people have known for quite some time that what we (and I do mean 'we', not 'they') are doing is not having the impact it needs to and that we need to change. I also think we have been very careful to not frame this in a negative way that apportions, or even implies, blame. We just need to massively tighten up on things.

What did your impact assessment identify as a result of you imposing a greater workload and changes in practise upon staff with protected characteristics? Not just the trendy ones with HR, the ones that are boring like age, sex and disability because they largely translate into middle aged women being viewed as being deliberately obstructive?

Have you considered that people actually doing the job might know a little bit about it that a previously overlooked poisoned chalice holder seeking to impress at appraisal might not?

It sounds like you’ve come up with an idea and want to get everyone on board but there’s been no collaboration. Have you sat around a table and asked them what their work capacity is like and whether they actually have time to put this new stuff into practice?
Whether you’re a manager or not these are your work colleagues and peers and it would be much better to do it as a team. They’re not school kids.

Several social work departments go through change...then another change...and another...before oh, and the next change means we're back where we started.

Is it anything like that OP? Where the "new" way is actually an old way?

Consultation with those directly effected is key and disregarding this is a huge mistake, people have good ideas which are not heard a lot of the time and if it’s not a good idea it’s still a plus for the audience that there is a forum for ideas to be heard. The business may not want to spend the time but that doesn’t make it less worthwhile. There’s still lots of opportunities to educate and inform on new process and definitely use this. Outside of this fairly typical experience of change management where little engagement with stakeholders and ineffective comms.

To be fair this does happen a lot. If you have worked at one place along time you see the changes go around in circles.

So these changes will increase the workload. Are you getting in extra staff to cover that? Are you paying current staff for overtime? Or are you just expecting them to just stay late unpaid because a unilateral unconsulted change is increasing their workload, and they should just suck it up because you say so?

Agree and it gets tiring, and is a waste of time

Are you Rachel Reeves?