6 Drama-Free Ways to Communicate a Change in Strategy

It’s the age-old HR challenge—you spot something new that’s guaranteed to streamline your company processes, but your manager isn’t convinced. 

Unfortunately, when it comes to a disruptive recruitment transformation, that story is all too familiar. 

In fact, a whopping 70% of large-scale change programs don’t reach their goals—and according to a 2016 McKinsey report, convincing the C-suite is just one piece of the puzzle. These are some of the other common changemaker pitfalls: 

• Not enough employee engagement
• Inadequate management support
• Crappy cross-functional collaboration
• Lack of accountability
• The need for a major company mindset overhaul

But trends are shifting. 

In the post-pandemic world, digital has gained a new foothold. Change is everywhere and employees are clamoring to work together for a better system.

Could there be a better time to leap into an epic recruitment transformation?

If you’re ready to take your hiring process to the next level, create the ultimate digital recruitment plan and communicate your transformation ideas like a true people pro, get ready. This unmissable ebook will light the way to a future-proof hiring process everyone can get behind. 

How to make your recruitment transformation case (and win)

Overcoming the C-level bottleneck is key to kicking off a successful digital transformation—but how do you get them onside?

The answer is in the detail: to succeed, you have to explain what you’re going to do, how you plan to do it and, above all, convince them why it’s a good idea. 

Let’s start with a quick checklist of what it takes to build an A+ recruitment transformation strategy and win internal buy-in: 

• A bigger picture outlook
• Leadership and transformation management strategy
• Employee engagement plan
• Employee training proposal
• HR Toolkit
• Cost/ROI

Let’s break this down.

Take a look at the bigger picture

Every HR pro knows recruitment is the beating heart of any organization—it pumps fresh blood to each department and the whole org depends on its health. 💗

David Green, Executive Director at Insight222, says it like it is: “There’s no point coming up with a digital HR strategy in isolation, it’s got to be linked to what the business is trying to achieve.” 

Here’s how a quality recruitment transformation can impact different areas of the business: 

Lead the Way

According to Deloitte’s Human Capital Trends report, only 5% of organizations surveyed feel they have strong digital leadership. Yep, you read that right, only 5%. 😲

To avoid becoming just another drop in the 95%, be sure to tackle the issue from two sides: 

• Inspire tangible C-level support: To truly ace your transformation plan, you need to not only get C-level onboard but also get them excited and eager to get this done ASAP. That takes a generous scoop of persuasion, so know your numbers, read up on how to persuade people and you’ll be well on your way to a super smooth hiring process in no time. 👌‍
• Build an ace digital transformation management team: To make this work your teams need to be the best of the best, and your managers need to know who’s going to make this transformation happen. Ask yourself who in your team could bring superstar skills to the table and pinpoint the gaps that call for fresh insights.
  

Get the whole team on board

Recruitment transformation affects the whole business—which means you need to not only win over your C-suite, you need to get the whole team onside.

Asia Leader of Advisory and Cloud Solutions at Alight Solutions, Shaswat Kumar, explains, “Organizational change needs the voice of the business (from HRBPs), the pulse of the employees (from the HR generalists), and the right set of actions driven and managed (by the CoEs).”

Your recruitment transformation strategy should include an internal comms plan that makes it easy for your teams to love the change. 💌

Here’s what to include: 

• Proactive communications: Use internal messaging systems to keep employees up-to-date on your plans before you start initiating new processes.‍
• Employee engagement plans: Think: feedback surveys, employee consultations or focus groups and even employee transformation committees.‍
• Employee concern plan of action: No matter how much you plan in advance, there may still be some employees who won’t budge on hating change. Be prepared to deal with difficult employees at every point of the transformation.
  

Upskill your employees

In 2019, over half of HR leaders were unable to give employees the skills they’d need to navigate a digitized workplace—but since then, the pandemic has begun a massive upsurge in tech reliance.  

The result? A lot of untrained employees struggling to adapt to the digital world. 

When it comes to your recruitment transformation, you need to make sure all of your employees are fully trained and completely comfortable with the new tools.

Ask yourself these questions to figure out how employee training will roll:  

• How are you going to prepare your employees for the new systems?
• Do any of the tools you use already have training instructions/programs?
• How much time will it take to get everyone fully competent in the new recruitment process?
• What type of training will you need? Face-to-face? Digital? Video? Text?
  

Design an A class HR toolkit

Your talent toolkit is the final piece of your recruitment transformation puzzle. 

But it’s important this comes last. As founder and CEO of HR consulting firm Leapgen, Jason Averbook puts it, “[Choosing tools before you have a strategy is] like getting on a plane without knowing where it’s going.” 

Once you know your strategic angle, use that info to select a sparkly new hiring tool that fits. 

Here are some crucial questions to ask:  

• What pain points do we need to solve with this tool?
• How will it make our employees’/candidates’ lives easier?
• Does the tool offer any employee training options?
• Does it have any integration options? Which of our current tools does it need to integrate with?‍
• Where can we find a tool that does it all-in-one?
  

Know your numbers

Businesses need revenue to survive, so return on investment (ROI) is probably the most important thing you need to persuade managers the recruitment transformation is worth it. 

The calculations you present should include: 

• Cost of an agency vs. efficient in-house hiring
• Time cost savings 
• The value of a quality hire
• Cost of a bad hire
• Cost of recruitment marketing and job advertising
• Employee turnover rates

Math may not be your strong point, but your managers will have their eagle-eyes on the detail—and numbers speak way louder than words.  

Hate Math? Get our free guide on 6 Simple Ways to Calculate the ROI on Your ATS.

Show them that recruitment transformation is worth it

There’s no denying you need your internal decision makers to back you up when the going gets tough—which is why it’s so important to get them on your side for a successful recruitment transformation.

And it’s how you communicate your plans that will win them over. 

From creating a clear employee engagement plan, to choosing the perfect tool for the job, the quickest path to success is to get down to the detail from day one.

So cover your bases in a business case they can’t refuse and get ready to watch your organization evolve.