Expert shares best practices when making big changes in the workplace
Change is never easy, especially if you have found success with the way you were doing things in the past.
In an HRD Canada podcast, Ashley Sardjoe, VP for Country People & Organization (HR) of Novartis Canada, talked about how he had to oversee a 30% headcount reduction of the organization when it underwent a major transformation during the fallout of a major pandemic.
The change was not easy, especially as Sardjoe works “in an industry where people have been not only used to a certain way of working, but also have been very successful in a certain way of working”.
“Every transformation is difficult. But if you have people that are not completely on board with the change, it makes it close to impossible,” he said in the podcast.
But changes had to be made. And he shared some tips on how to make tough decisions throughout the process.
“The first critical thing – which is actually part of that selection process – is that as a leader, you have to be courageous. You have to be courageous to identify ‘In my scope of people, who are the people that are really excited about the change? Who are the people that are excited about the change, but perhaps need a little bit more clarity about their own future?... And what is that group of people that is… completely stuck in the past, and for whatever reason, is not able to make that change?’”
“And as a leader, and as an HR function, as a custodian, you have to encourage your leaders to be courageous and to make tough decisions to say, ‘Look, maybe this is no longer the organization for you’. That's a very critical first step that you need to do.”
Novartis, as well as Tesla, McKinsey & Co. and number of other employers have previously announced layoff plans.
In the podcast, Sardjoe also discussed how his personal life took a toll amid all the changes.
Listen to Sardjoe as he talks about the varying levels of managing change – at scale and at home, in the HRD Canada podcast available for free here.
