Push back meaning

Push back takes on a variety of forms, but it refers to an employee’s resistance to methodology, culture, processes, procedures or changes in the workplace. Navigating employee push back is a challenge because it requires a great deal of skill and understanding to determine what’s constructive and relevant and what isn’t.

For example, some employees use push back as a means of asserting themselves and appearing strong and in control. Often, this bravado masks an underlying fear of change or insecurity that they’re not able to meet new standards. As a manager, you should have an arsenal of tools under your belt to help you get the most out of employees when this happens.

You need to be humble and emotionally intelligent enough to admit when push back is warranted. Employees are your front-line ambassadors to your clients, and they’re in an excellent position to offer advice and guidance. The best leaders are able to strike a balance between making workers feel heard and valued while instilling confidence in their ability to make decisions. Being credible with your employees is all about planning, preparation and communication.

Reasons push back occurs

Often, an employee who’s pushing back isn’t fully conscious of the reasons why, especially if fear and insecurity are at play. Remember, just as you have your priorities, they have their own, and the two aren’t always aligned.

An important aspect of dealing with push back is understanding why it occurs and taking steps to show your employees that any changes or new directives are for their benefit, as well as your own.

Let’s look at the main reasons push back occurs:

• Self-interest. Changes in the workplace can feel like a sign of things to come. If an individual feels like their job is under threat, there’s a good chance they’ll throw some resistance your way. This is particularly relevant in today’s workplace, where the role of technology is increasing and people fear being made redundant as a result.
• Fear of looking incompetent. By asserting resistance to change or passively-aggressively ignoring operational procedures, an employee can mask their inability to keep up with their role.
• Lack of trust. If employees don’t see a manager as credible, they’ll be more likely to push back. Employees talk to each other, and if trust is lacking, misunderstandings can occur and the rumor mill can run rampant, further discrediting management and creating resistance to company directives.

Dealing with push back in the workplace is a core leadership skill

Communication, accountability and trust are the three main concepts leaders can embrace to deftly and professionally handle push back. Communication of roles and responsibilities helps everyone in the organization understand what’s expected of them. Cultivating a collaborative, open company culture ensures people feel confident to express when they don’t understand something, so they can ask for the help they need.

Providing regular one-on-one meetings to assess progress demonstrates that you care about employees and provides the perfect opportunity to hold them accountable. Offering training where relevant ensures that you’re accountable for providing workers with the necessary tools to carry out their duties.

Inspiring trust isn’t as easy to define and relies heavily on leaders being honest and remaining true to their word. Employees don’t require that you’re perfect, but you should be calculated and intentional in everything you do to minimize mistakes. In the rare instance they do happen under your employees’ gaze, you should be open and honest and actively display the behavior you’d want to see them display if the roles were reversed.

The best leaders are experts in their field who wow employees with an extensive, all-encompassing knowledge of their role. They’re passionate about the industry, play employees to their strengths and are empathetic and understanding, without being easy to manipulate. Cultivating these traits is an excellent way to build trust and avoid push back.

Tips for handling push back

Even the most effective, experienced managers will face push back at some point—it’s the nature of the workplace. Employees are paid to perform a role, not to look at the big bigger picture. Your role as a leader is to help them see the benefit of considering as much of the bigger picture of your organization as possible for themselves and the company.

The more engaged your employees are, the more onboard they’ll be when it comes to making changes and improvements. Below are some tips to help you handle employee push back and engage your team.

Develop your emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence lies at the heart of effective people management, and it’s a skill you can work on. It helps you understand your employee’s intentions and relate to them in a meaningful, engaging manner. Someone with high emotional intelligence is also highly self-aware, so they fully understand the impact they have on others.

Listen

It’s crucial that you listen carefully, and if possible, add some time between listening and reacting to push back. While it might simply be a case of an employee resisting change or fearing for their future, it could equally be a valid and helpful point that they’re making.

Encourage participation

You’re much less likely to face push back if you make sure employees feel involved with the progress and shape of their careers. Team meetings, one-on-one sessions, seminars, webinars and feedback forms play a crucial role in ensuring employees feel like they have a say in their job role.

Even if you do most of the directing and guide the team to where you need them to be, giving them the opportunity to have their say and provide feedback can make all the difference.

Document processes and procedures meticulously

The need for thorough documentation in the form of clear job descriptions, company hierarchy and detailed outlines of procedures and processes cannot be stated highly enough. Having a library of resources for the team to reference can prevent push back because employees feel secure in the knowledge they can always refer to it when they need help.

Provide extensive training

In some cases, you’ll need to provide training to move the team forward. While training can be costly, it’s an investment in your company’s success, and it goes a long way in preventing push back. Providing training demonstrates that you genuinely care about your team’s individual progression, and it can be one of the most beneficial perks you offer workers.

Accept that sometimes you might need to enforce change

In some instances, change needs to happen quickly and efficiently. If you’re getting a lot of push back despite implementing the best practices outlined above, you might simply be faced with an employee who isn’t the right fit for your team. Don’t be afraid to enforce ultimatums if an employee is being unreasonable or willfully noncompliant, and it’s negatively impacting the workforce.