Restructuring HR Strategies

When a company decides to restructure their organization due to change of vision, laws, or budget plan, the HR team is one of the most important sectors to get involved. They can be a crucial asset to refocusing the company and steering it in the right direction. The job is to restructure, reduce, and/or reorganize the makeup of the company—a daunting task. There is a myriad of ways an HR worker can and will get involved in an organization’s restructure or change. Ultimately, the success of the restructure can decide the success of the new business.

Employees are sensitive to change, especially if it may mean the loss of their job, so following protocol and having a plan is crucial. In a situation where reorganization is required, the HR team needs to be involved early in planning. It is their job to ensure employees are repositioned in a way compliant with all laws. In addition, it is their job to ensure employees that do stay are successful in their transition within the company. If there is a new law in place that could change the way the company operates,the HR team needs to create a plan and make it extremely clear how the changes will be carried out. It is also important to be available for clarification or discussion in the months immediately following the change, and to provide support for employees.

In order to be successful, HR needs to understand the previous changes, involve management positions, map out a process, and then carry those out with open communication. Once the changes have been made and the process has been carried out, the success can be measured and used as a guideline for the next company change down the road. It is in HR’s hands to ensure that everyone is aware of the changes and feels comfortable with them. If there are any employees or leaders concerned, addressing those specific concerns needs to take priority. Dealing with challenges too late can negatively impact the employees as well as the progress of the changes being made.

If it is a restructure that the organization needs with certain positions waiting to be cut, HR staff may be able to help in finding other ways to cut the budget and fulfil the end goals of the company owners. Both avenues are important to explore considering that the livelihoods of employees may be at stake. HR’s main goal should be to act the role model for change within the company. They set the standards and procedures, and they carry those out carefully and exactly with as little upset caused within the company as possible. If and when upset occurs, HR should be prepared to communicate and take action if need be. There will always be something a company has to deal with that employees may not necessarily like because change is inevitable, but an HR team can make it as painless as possible if following the correct procedures.

Ashley Herbert