Home Health & Hospice Week

Change is inevitable and so is resistance to it. Take these steps to help your team deal with transformation in the office.

Home care providers have seen a plethora of changes over the years, and you can count on more changes coming as reimbursement adjustments hit and new quality initiatives take off. How do you make sure your employees don't fall into a rut when committing to important changes in your company?

Here are some suggestions from the book "Flexible Leadership," by Richard Lepsinger, for ensuring that your employees remain steadfast in their commitment to whatever plan for change your company decides to make:

• Be up-front about the change and its impact on the company. Don't censor the topic because you're hesitant about how your employees will react. In the end, they'll appreciate your honesty and openness, and they'll be more receptive to embracing the new rule.
• Practice what you preach. Whatever change you're pushing, it won't mean anything to your employees if you don't demonstrate to them that you're following the new plan. Lead by example.
• Get everyone involved. This includes senior managers and middle managers. This shows that everyone in the company is operating under the same set of rules. Plan implementation will be more successful if everyone's on board.
• Follow through. Don't just sit back after setting the plan up. Be prepared to make adjustments as needed. The plan should be continuously changing, based on your observations of problems or other developments you haven't anticipated.
• Be realistic about your goals. You need to implement the plan for change in a way that your employees can handle; overwhelming them will only result in frustration and failure. Target goals that you know your department can reach in the time allotted to ensure a smooth transition.
• Provide the resources they need. Be cognizant that your employees have jobs that they still need to perform on top of the new change. You will need to help them do both by providing adequate resources, so they can complete all tasks at hand.
• Be enthusiastic. Continuously generate excitement about the change, even after the first month or so of its conception. Try a reward plan; this will give employees something to keep looking forward to while they are meeting their goals.