Employee Handbooks     Managing Change     Benefits of Outsourcing     Outsourcing Basics   employee questions at all levels. Let your company´s front-line supervisors address each of their employees and answer their questions. Giving employees the high-level vision and the hands-on detail will help them better understand and accept potentially upsetting news. Create an effective message. Consider the specific informational needs of executives, middle managers, supervisors and employees, and tailor your message to fit each audience. Often companies communicate only what´s happening at the corporate level and neglect the things that are really important to employees, such as how the change affects their future. Remember, employees don´t think about the company the way executives do. They want to know about things that you may find unimportant, such as how future plans will affect their personal work area. Whoever communicates change to employees needs to understand their concerns. An effective message should also explain how your employees´ day-to-day duties directly impact the company´s performance and should touch on the values and pride of the employees. A direct, face-to-face interaction can help reinforce positive attitudes, inspire employees and help them adapt to the change. Listen to your employees. Employee feedback is critical in managing change. Holding focus groups with employees is a great way to gauge reaction and monitor the progress of change. You also can encourage employees to provide feedback through email or the company intranet. This shows them that you care and provides a forum for employees to share their thoughts (by name or anonymously), which is hard for some employees to do in person.                                                                                                        Click to next page