by Anna Conrad

“Making change part of the organization’s internal dialogue is critical to successful firm management.”

Fear, anxiety, and resistance can quickly take over an organization during tough times, causing employee productivity, morale, and engagement to plummet. When change occurs — or is simply rumored to occur — stress can take over and cause serious disruption to firm operations.

A recent study by the Society for Human Resource Management showed that gossip and rumor-spreading among employees has increased 54 percent since the recession began. Such practices may seem harmless, but they can quickly hijack emotions and productivity among your firm’s attorneys and staff alike. If talk around the water cooler goes unchecked, an innocent closed-door meeting to discuss travel limitations could turn into (in the minds of the uniformed) a massive layoff plan. Consider the following strategies to keep this from happening at your firm.

Over-Communicate

Making change part of the organization’s internal dialogue is critical to opening lines of communication and successfully managing the firm. Employees do not need to be made aware of every development, but acknowledging shifts in policy and other relevant details that accompany internal change will help keep morale high and staff calm.

Key approaches:

1. Explain why a change is needed and how it will affect employees. Articulate this in straightforward, honest language, such as, “We’re cutting expenses to avoid having to make layoffs,” followed by a “Call to Action” (see section below).
2. Decide when and how employees will get updates. Schedule weekly meetings, e-mails, or other ways to disseminate information regularly – and stick to them.
3. Acknowledge individuals’ intense emotions. Let people know it’s normal to feel anxious — even panicked — and that you still value their contributions to the firm.

Call to Action

In turbulent times, strong leadership is critical. In law firms, administrators are ideally positioned to deliver that leadership — facilitating positive change and motivating their colleagues to achieve and embrace it.

One strategy: Reframe a change or issue your firm is facing as a challenge. You might say, “What we need to do is learn how to become lean and use our resources optimally. When this economic crisis is over, we will be the ahead of other firms.”

Seeking Answers

Sometimes questions lack immediate answers, but don’t use that as a reason to sidestep them. Saying “I don’t know” is better (in the short term) than ignoring the elephant in the room — as long as you can give a date (or an approximate one) for when the answer can be expected. Utilize these simple strategies and watch your firm flourish.

If these guidelines will help during tough times, imagine how impactful they will be during the better times that are sure to come.

Anna Conrad, JD, is an expert in organizational effectiveness and leadership development, and she is President of Impact Leadership Solutions. Anna Conrad has over a decade of experience in executive and leadership coaching, group facilitation, leadership development, and training. She has been a trusted confidante to leaders in numerous Fortune 500 companies, including the financial, telecommunications, legal, and health-care sectors, as well as in academia, government, and nonprofits.