How to Help Employees Handle Tough Moments, with Anthony Klotz
Coaching for Leaders Podcast Recap
Published:
Duration: 38 min
Guests: Anthony Klotz
Summary
Anthony Klotz, an organizational psychologist, discusses how managers can help employees handle tough moments or 'jolts' effectively. The episode emphasizes the importance of transparent communication and fairness in organizational changes to prevent negative employee reactions.
What Happened
Anthony Klotz, known for predicting 'the Great Resignation', introduces the concept of 'jolts' - events that disrupt an individual's relationship with work. These jolts can be personal or professional and are increasingly common in today's workplace. Klotz stresses that if not handled properly, these jolts can lead to poor decision-making.
Managers play a crucial role in helping employees navigate these jolts. They can often predict such events and mitigate their negative effects by maintaining open communication and building trust with their employees. Klotz highlights that employees often communicate among themselves during organizational changes, and a fair explanation from management can significantly reduce negative reactions.
Research indicates that spending an extra 40-50 seconds explaining bad news can positively impact how employees react. Fairness in both the outcome and the process of organizational decisions is crucial. Klotz references a study where theft increased at a plant following pay cuts announced without fair explanations, underscoring the importance of perceived fairness.
Klotz discusses the potential negative outcomes when employees leave organizations due to perceived unfairness. Delaying bad news can lead to distrust, and managers need to be transparent. Ray Dalio's 'Principles' is mentioned as advocating for radical transparency, which helps build trust and encourages growth within organizations.
Some employees navigate jolts alone, which can result in poor decisions. Effective leaders create environments where employees feel comfortable discussing jolts. Managers who have good relationships with their employees can better predict which employees might be affected by changes.
Klotz advises against the phrase 'don't bring me problems, bring me solutions', as it discourages open communication about problems. Instead, he suggests that fostering trust and listening to employees outweighs the inefficiencies of handling solvable problems. This approach builds a trust-based environment crucial for navigating jolts.
Klotz's book 'Why We Quit, When to Stay and Why It Matters' offers guidance for leaders and individuals experiencing organizational changes. The episode also references other resources, such as Seth Godin's 'The Dip' for individuals contemplating career decisions.
The podcast encourages continuous learning and offers resources like a free membership and a Focus 5 mailer for leadership tips, aiming to equip leaders with tools to handle the complexities of organizational changes.
Key Insights
- Jolts are disruptive events that cause individuals to reassess their relationship with work. They can be personal or professional and are increasingly common in today's workplace.
- Research shows that just 40-50 seconds of additional explanation during the delivery of bad news can significantly impact employee reactions, highlighting the importance of perceived fairness.
- Managers can predict and mitigate the negative effects of jolts by maintaining open communication and trust-based relationships with employees, allowing them to better foresee which employees might be affected by changes.
- A study found that theft increased in a plant following pay cuts that were announced without fair explanations, demonstrating that perceived unfairness in organizational decisions can lead to negative outcomes.