What is the role of HR in change management?

The human resources (HR) department of a company has a number of different roles within it. As the name would indicate though, most of its responsibilities are to do with people. HR is supposed to ensure that a company gets the right people and foster an environment that enables them to work at their best. One situation in which that is particularly challenging is during periods of change.

What is change management?

Change is inevitable for any organisation, because the world does not stand still. Change management is about making that process as smooth as possible – minimising potential disruption. Much of that is about ensuring that the people within the organisation are on board with the changes. That requires strategies to overcome resistance, and this is where HR plays a central role.

What is the role of HR in change management?

Here is a more detailed look at HR’s responsibilities in change management.

1. Communication and Engagement

Clear communication is essential if people are to be persuaded of the need for change. There are legitimate reasons why they may be concerned about it and, if these are not addressed, the result will be resistance. Maybe it has not been properly explained to them why the change is necessary. Or they may be in the dark about what the change means for them and their futures.

The role of HR is to come up with a communication strategy that addresses any concerns they have and engages them with the change – by showing how it will improve the organisation. They should be given space to offer feedback, as this will show that the organisation values their input.

2. Training and Development

One of the likely consequences of change is that employees will need new skills to adapt. Many organisations are looking to adopt new technologies to streamline and improve their efficiency, but that requires digital training for their staff.

The role of HR is identify what new skills will be needed and by whom, before putting in place the necessary training programmes. HR is also responsible for monitoring the progress of employees who are undergoing skills training and supporting them through it. That includes listening to any doubts or anxieties they may have and reassuring them.

3. Managing Employee Relations

A third role that HR plays in change management is managing relations between the employees of an organisation. What that really boils down to is ensuring that the culture of the organisation is one that is healthy for all of the employees. It could be argued that providing training programmes is part of that, but there is a lot more to it.

Managing employee relations is about overcoming resistance to change, by understanding what lies behind it. HR is responsible for ensuring that managers remain sympathetic to the concerns of their employees, rather than simply dismissing them. That is about building trust between the two, through honest conversations.

HR may also have the task of providing employees who are struggling to adapt with additional support resources. Those can range from wellbeing programmes to counselling.

4. Ensuring Compliance and Fairness

Another role for HR within change management is to make sure that the process of change complies with all legal requirements. Employment law can be complex, so this is essential to ensure that organisations avoid costly breaches of it. HR should create the necessary documentation, in case of any legal challenges.

Compliance and fairness are also about ensuring that change processes remain free of any discrimination. There are regulations such as the Equality Act that organisations must be conscious of when implementing change. This is about legal compliance but also about maintaining a positive workplace culture.

5. Measuring Impact and Success

This is about tracking the impact of the changes across the key metrics of engagement, productivity and turnover. Collecting that data and analysing it is how an organisation can determine whether the changes have been a success or not.

HR will have the task of assessing employee engagement levels in the wake of the changes. That is usually done using things like surveys. Once all of the data has been collated and analysed, HR will report on the findings to managers.

At FiveRivers Consulting, our HR transformation services can help your organisation with change management. Contact us for details.