When Workers Resist Change

The general assumption is that when employees and workers are committed to the workplace, company or the organization where they work, they are happy, productive employees. While this may be true, there can also be a tendency for those who are really invested in a particular work environment to resist progress and change. Individuals are so happy or content with things as they stand that they may not want to embrace inevitable progress or change.

Those employees who really like their jobs and are committed to the companies and/or organizations they work for tend to work hard, keep their jobs, and be less likely to be absent or leave. However, those same employees may also be so strongly attached to the workplace or job as it stands they want things to stay the same. They value the existing organizational structure and the existing way that tasks are handled and work distributed and this can make it very difficult for them to embrace change. They may be afraid that things will change so much that they will no longer feel as positively about their jobs.

Who would think that highly productive and happy employees would actually be an impediment to progress? Overall, happy productive workers generally mean productive, efficient and profitable departments and companies. When these workers are so happy that they want things to stay the same, it can become a problem. This is when it can be a good idea to bring in some new blood and shake things up a bit-but it may need to be done with some care and consideration.

The potential cost to a company where the workers are TOO HAPPY can be that the resistance to change is strong enough to inhibit progress. Workers may need to be reassured and rewarded for making changes and the company management will likely need to consider how best to approach the changes so as to not create mass hysteria or a mass exodus of good employees. If some turnover is desired, consider ways to create cross-training and support and encourage employees to embrace chances to be promoted or advanced. Rewards may need to be put in place, as well as plenty of educational opportunities where management can share the benefits of the pending changes with the employees.

When workers resist change, it does not mean the end of progress for a company, it just may mean getting creative in order to encourage compliance and maintain moral.