Conference Speakers Advise HR How to Be Leaders in Times of Change

Author: Beth P. Zoller, XpertHR Legal Editor

May 23, 2014

Conference participants at the recently concluded SHRM - Long Island Chapter's 23rd Annual Conference and Exhibitors' Showcase had the opportunity to attend a workshop titled "Rolling With the Seas of Change: Developing HR Leadership Qualities During Times of Crisis and Turmoil" presented by Christopher M. Valentino, Esq., managing shareholder of Jackson Lewis' Long Island office, and Aoifa O'Donnell, CEO of National EAP, Inc. The workshop explored the critical role HR plays in balancing an employer's legitimate business interests with employee morale and productivity and preserving the integrity and dignity of the workforce.

Valentino and O'Donnell identified three types of change:

  1. Employer driven change - Organizational restructuring, reduction in force, relocation, mergers and improvements in policies and promotions;
  2. Employee driven change - Personal issues, union strikes, substance abuse and a death on the job; and
  3. Outside change - Changes in law and technology.

Regarding employer driven change, Valentino and O'Donnell said employees are more inclined to accept change when they know the motivation and reasoning behind it. The biggest challenge Valentino and O'Donnell identified is an employer's failure to adequately and appropriately communicate with employees. HR must get all employees on board before a change is made, they noted. On the other hand, if change is driven by employees, HR and the employer must respond and take the right approach.

Valentino and O'Donnell offered the following advice for handling any kind of change in the workplace:

  • Minimize employer liability by considering the laws that are implicated and the employer's legitimate business interests.
  • Consider which workplace policies will guide the decisions that need to be made when changes occur.
  • Be consistent when enforcing policies to avoid disparate impact claims.
  • Make sound decisions that can be relied on in the future and avoid creating unwanted precedents.
  • Take into account employee morale, productivity, energy, sprit and engagement.
  • Communicate with employees and consider the human impact of the change.
  • Aim to maintain and improve the work environment and employee health in the workplace.
  • Train managers on sensitivity.

The speakers urged HR professionals to be leaders and act with respect, dignity and professionalism toward employees in order to build a loyal and committed workforce and increase employee retention.

In a post-workshop interview, when asked what the biggest change facing HR is and how HR professionals can effectively respond, Valentino said: "I think the biggest challenge facing HR professionals today is making sure their respective companies are focused on developments coming out of our increasingly aggressive administrative agencies. The NLRB's enforcement of Section 7 rights and the EEOC's systemic discrimination initiative only are examples of potential pitfalls in the new legal landscape. Now more than ever, HR professionals must try and control all areas of potential exposure. This includes regular auditing of policies and procedures, reinforcement of sound EEO practices through management training and staying current with new developments."