Support change by showing positives, not sharing frustrations
As a supervisor, you may need to support policies or changes that you do not necessarily agree with. Workers might not support every rule either, but they usually follow the rules (most of the time).
Their reluctant agreement to follow the rules can increase the challenge of implementing change. In some cases, resistance might simply represent an instinctive push-back against a new process created by “someone who doesn’t know the job.” Still, changes are adopted for specific reasons, and should offer benefits (even if workers choose not to acknowledge those benefits).
A supervisor sometimes has to be the bad guy, but ideally, you’ve built a cooperative (not combative) relationship with your team. Unfortunately, supervisors sometimes bond with workers by sharing frustrations rather than pointing out benefits. If you don’t understand the benefits or reason for a change, ask for clarification before introducing the change to your team.
Even if you don’t support a rule, avoid criticizing it. You can show empathy for the team while highlighting benefits. For example, you might say something like, “I understand your frustration, but it’s required because it protects you as well as the company.”
While it may be tempting to share frustrations when you don’t support a change, your team may then assume that you won’t enforce the new procedure. This could create awkward situations if you need to impose discipline, with questions like, “But you said it’s pointless, so why are we here?”
Acknowledge objections
When a change comes along and you need to get the team on board, try to acknowledge their objections. Acknowledging does not mean validating, but it does mean you can’t ignore or dismiss their objections.
For example, if someone complains that a new step will add time, you might say, “The company understands that this might take longer, but it’s an important change that will reduce the risk of injury.”
The key is to empathize with them, yet still support the change. You could even express uncertainty such as, “This is new to me also, but we all need to make it work.” This is much better than saying, “I understand your frustration and agree that this seems pointless.”
Acknowledging objections also sets you up to ask for help by adding, “We’re all in this together. My job is to implement policies, and your job is to follow policies. If we work together, I won’t have to use discipline. That’s something we’d all prefer to avoid, but I need your help.”
Ask for help
In short, ask for the team’s support by pointing out that:
- Your job includes supporting policies, and this is not optional;
- Their job includes following policies, and that is not optional; and
- You’re all in the same boat and you’d prefer to work together.
If workers understand these challenges of your job, they should be more willing to cooperate, which also makes your job easier through their support.
Even if you’ve previously made the mistake of sharing or validating their frustrations, you still have the option of asking for help. Again, point out that following the rules is your job as well as their job. If needed, acknowledge that you made mistakes by not showing support.
Address workers’ objections to let them know that you value their opinions, but also let them know that neither of you has a choice in following rules, and you need their cooperation and support to avoid confrontations that neither of you wants.
