Organizational change is inevitable, but with it comes the unknown. Without a clear road ahead, employees can easily fall into a state of anxiety about their jobs if there is no clear strategy for success in place. In a report from Build Better Change, 69% of respondents agreed that change initiatives are more frequent than ever. As change always requires employees to adapt, at a certain point, employees can become fatigued from accommodating regular changes.
Yet if the employees don’t fully support them, change initiatives can easily fail. In fact, 70% of these change projects fail because of both employee resistance and leadership lack of support.
So, we know that change can be tiring, but which factors are at the root of change resistance, and how can we mitigate them?
What if the Job Changes?
When change happens, an employee’s role can end up looking very different. That fear of how the role can change can create high levels of anxiety. Unfortunately, this fear is not unfounded as 73% of employees reported change projects negatively impacting how they can complete their job. The stress that comes from not being able to succeed in the role’s new requirements can also affect engagement, with burnout experienced by 77% of employees and low morale by 53% due to frequent levels of change.
To support employees with these concerns, it’s crucial to provide transparent communication. Help employees to understand what the changes are meant to achieve. If employees worry about their ability to complete the tasks, we can offer training and upskilling opportunities to help them adapt. Encourage managers to hold one-on-one meetings with employees to understand their concerns and provide them with reassurance.
When Employees Lose Trust
Losing trust in leadership may not occur after a few changes, especially when they are in-between. However, if change starts to happen regularly, trust can quickly drop. With 61% of employees reporting a decrease in trust when experiencing frequent change, HR teams must prioritize building confidence among their workers.
This process will also include transparent communication, but sharing empathy is key. When describing the change that will take place, it’s important to validate employees’ feelings on the matter and emphasize that the leadership is prioritizing support during this time.
Trust isn’t always built upon communication, however. Most of the time, this requires action. Allow room for employees to share their insights into how change is affecting them and then follow through on any improvements that should be made. When leadership acts in a way that allows employees to feel heard, they are more likely to keep trust levels intact.
Anxiety About the Future
There is always uncertainty about the future during times of change, but there is also room for reassurance. The Build Better Change report shares some of these concerns that HR leaders can consider addressing when mitigating chamge resistance anxiety about the future.
Most respondents (92%) explained that they need “clearly defined success metrics.” When adapting to change, the road to success can suddenly become muddy. Employees can already often feel they are completing their tasks the way they could previously, and this is even more difficult without a clear vision of how to progress.
Additionally, 74% agree that project timelines need to be realistic. If possible, create a visual roadmap of the project timeline, or even a visually appealing infographic. This approach can help employees understand what is expected from them each week and what each future step may look like.
With clear information and actionable steps, HR leaders can reduce change anxiety and burnout in favor of a culture of resilience when change is inevitable.
