Managing Organizational Change Related to COVID-19 (Resources for Leaders)

The following resources are designed to support supervisors who are reviewing workforce planning options provided by HR-710 in response to COVID-19. Supervisors will also find tools to support their teams through this process. For additional assistance, reach out to your campus human resources office (MU, MU Health, UMKC, Missouri S&T or UMSL) or the HR Service Center. Additional resources related to COVID-19 can be found on the COVID-19 Updates webpage.

University Resources

• Workforce Planning in Response to COVID-19 Presentation
• Layoff and Transition Assistance Resources

Helpful Videos

• Making Change More Comfortable (3m)
• Change Reactions in Six Stages (3m)
• Common Change Reactions (3m)
• Skills for Handling Change (3m)
• Managers Get Stressed Too: Managing Your Time (3m)
• Managing Employee Stress (2m)

Navigating Changes on Your Team

• Leaders Resource Guide: Delivering Difficult Messages to Those Affected by Payroll Reduction Measures
• Employee Resource Guide: Information for Those Affected by Payroll Reduction Measures
• Academic Resource Guide: Information for Those Affected by Salary Reductions
• Layoff Resource Guides
  • Employee Resource Guide
  • Management Resource Guide

Helpful Videos

• Managing the Stress of Difficult Conversations (3m)
• Assessing Emotions (3m)
• Planning a Difficult Conversation (3m)
• Demonstrating the Right Mindset (3m)

Responding to Changes on Your Team

Helpful Videos

• Staying Motivated in Times of Change (3m)
• Reframing Change in Positive Ways (3m)
• Recognizing the Signs of Employee Stress (3m)
• Motivating Employees: Communication and Culture (3m)
• Acknowledging Employees' Experiences (3m)
• Allowing Employees to React (2m)

Planning for Changes on Your Team

Step 1: Analyze the current supply of time and skills.

• What technical skills exist on your team?
• Are employees looking for things to fill their time or challenged to complete their work?

Step 2: Determine the needs of the present and/or future needs of the organization.

• What are the mission critical goals of your unit?
• Are there increased or decreased demands right now? Do you anticipate anything different in the coming months?

Step 3: Identify gaps in needed skills or opportunities for expense reduction.

• If there is a shortage of skills and a demand for work, can new skills be learned quickly? Are there others who could be cross trained?
• Do you have capacity to offer another team or allocate toward expense reduction goals?

Step 4: Develop the way forward using the Workforce Planning Options provided by HR-710 and HR-720.

• What combination of strategies can you use to meet the financial needs of your unit while delivering on mission critical objectives?