Singapore - During an organisational upheaval, HR needs to maintain clear communication channels with line managers at all times or the company might lose the entire workforce's buy-in.

As managers are usually the first in line to communicate and support their staff through a change transition, HR needs to ensure these change agents have the answers to any employee's concerns. Tan Tat Jin, trainer specialising in organisational development for SDC Consulting, says without a clear communication plan, line managers would not be able to take broader responsibility in reassuring employees during the transition. This lack of reassurance might create unrest within the company, leading to poor productivity.

The first step, Tan says, to develop an effective communication system is promoting awareness starting from the top to the bottom of the organisation. "Meaning they must understand that there is an issue confronting us, [whether] it is a competitor or the threatening environment such as the [economic] downturn so business is affected."

Awareness can come in the form of regular meetings to keep everyone in sync with the business objectives, adds Tan.

Once the entire workforce is aware of the impending changes, HR must move on to the next stage, which is setting the critical values or actions needed for employees to adapt to the changes. The guidelines would allow workers to help the company boost its business performance accordingly, says Tan.

However, Tan warns that HR must learn to exercise patience during this difficult period as organisational change implementation takes time to succeed. "Depending on the size of the organisation, it usually takes from six months to one and half years. There may be productivity dips and confusion during change, you need to give leeway."