In the current economic climate, 84 percent of workers have experienced a recent shift in their businesses operations, with management moves, employee layoffs and significant senior leadership overhauls impacting workers. But two-thirds of employees report not receiving enough information when their companies go through corporate change, according to research being released this week by CEB, a member-based advisory service. 

CEB finds that failing to tell employees in advance about organizational changes—such as a change in senior leadership—can increase misconduct by 42 percent and directly affect the bottom line and shareholder returns. CEB research shows companies that communicate effectively with their employees provide shareholder returns of 7.9 percent, while those with ineffective communication deliver just 2.1 percent.

CEB found eight disruptive, company-wide changes or career moments that pose the greatest risk to companies—those that are increasingly common and associated with relatively high observed misconduct:
• Layoffs
• Organizational Restructuring
• Change in Senior Leadership
• Change in Job Responsibilities
• Reduction in Benefits
• Change in Direct Manager
• Wage Freeze
• Hiring Freeze