While Change Is Inevitable, Change Fatigue Doesn’t Have To Be

Transformation and innovation are important parts of everyday life in successful organizations. Workplaces are continually changing as they introduce new technologies, adapt in response to shifting market demands, and meet customer needs.

But when change is not managed in the right way, employees are left feeling confused, overwhelmed, and exhausted. And as the complexities of the modern workplace continue to grow, it’s been widely reported that change fatigue is increasing in many organizations.

Even the most engaged and motivated employees can fall victim to change fatigue. We’re all human, after all; we’re intrinsically programmed to be cautious of changes to the status quo in order to keep ourselves safe.

While change is inevitable, change fatigue doesn’t have to be. This blog post sets out everything you need to know about change fatigue, and how you can avoid it in your organization.

What is change fatigue?

Change fatigue in the workplace is when employees feel overwhelmed and exhausted in response to organizational changes, often leading to reduced engagement, resilience, and adaptability.

People experiencing change fatigue often feel unable to keep up with back-to-back organizational changes, coping by mentally ‘checking out’ or ‘quiet quitting’.

It can occur when employees feel as though the pace of change is unrelenting, or like they’re having to constantly adapt, evolve, or learn new ways of working. But an important thing to note is that ‘change fatigue’ is not reserved for restructures, redundancy programs, or strategic redirections. All changes – even the most positive ones – come at a cumulative cost for the organization.  

And if not handled correctly, change fatigue can have widespread negative impacts. A study of US employees found that over half of those experiencing change fatigue were looking for a new job, a third said they were less productive at work, 48% felt more stressed, and 37% were less trusting of their employer.

4 ways to avoid change fatigue

If there’s one thing for certain as we hurtle into 2025, it’s that the pace of change and transformation is not going to slow down. The Center for Creative Leadership stresses that we need to understand that there’s no ‘endpoint’ when it comes to workplace change, just continual evolution.

So, here are four proven ways that you can minimize any disruption caused by workplace change and help your people embrace the opportunities it presents.

1. Communicate openly

Frequent and open internal communication is one of the most important ways to avoid change fatigue and encourage employees to get on board with whatever it is you’re rolling out.

Effective communication is often the determining factor in how supportive, aligned and engaged your people will be during a period of organizational change. Make sure you brief the management and leadership teams ahead of communicating the change more broadly. They are the people who employees will be going to with questions, so they need to know what’s happening, how to answer the questions, or who to escalate to.

On top of working closely with the people managers within your organization, it’s also useful to create a space within your EXP that enables employees to ask questions specifically about the change, collaborate, and access further information.

2. Focus on the bigger picture

When an organization goes through lots of different change programs in a relatively short time period, things can start to feel a bit chaotic and disjointed for employees. But more often than not, the different programs are connected in some way and slot together as part of the bigger picture.

They are all pieces of a bigger jigsaw, and it’s our role to show employees the jigsaw…even though it might not be finished yet.

We need to help join the dots for our people by highlighting the ‘why’ behind each change in the workplace. Think about how it aligns with the broader strategy, and how it connects to the organization’s purpose.

Whether it’s a restructuring of leadership, a new office location, or a digital transformation project – every change is happening for a reason. And to avoid change fatigue, you need to clearly articulate this reason and focus on the bigger picture.    

3. Celebrate success

Celebrating success throughout each period of change can help to refocus employees on the positives and keep morale high.

Think about recognition at both an individual and a project level. At the individual level, spotlight employees who are embracing the new ways of working, or helping to embed the change. And at a project level, publicly celebrate key milestones and aim to keep your people in the loop with progress.

Think about the ways that you can recognize and reward those that lead by example, or support the change. Do you have a team of ‘change champions’ who are helping their colleagues adapt to a new system? Or perhaps there’s an operational team member who’s been working closely with the central change department to share ideas and escalate challenges?

In whatever ways you can, highlight as many ‘wins’, milestones, and achievements as possible throughout each period of workplace change.  

4. Build organizational resilience

I mentioned earlier in this blog post that change fatigue can lead to decreased employee resilience. But low resilience can also lead to change fatigue… so we have a bit of a vicious cycle on our hands.  

To break it, employers need to proactively build employee resilience. 

A resilient workforce feels safe, supported, and appreciated. And it is far more likely to feel able to thrive under pressure and cope with prolonged change programs. 

Introducing training modules that help employees to manage stress and uncertainty is a good way to increase resilience, as well as providing tools and resources in support of good mental health. A comprehensive Employee Assistance Program, well-trained managers, and visible senior leaders are also all core building blocks.  

By prioritizing resilience, organizations can create a culture of innovation and adaptability where employees truly embrace change.

Minimize change fatigue with Workvivo by your side

With so much happening at once, it can be incredibly valuable to have a central hub that pulls everything together for employees, managers and leaders.

Workvivo is the ultimate all-in-one solution that unites all of your organization’s favorite tools and makes life easier for everyone. On top of that, it helps you tackle content overwhelm and spotlight the most important employee wellbeing resources so that your people are equipped and empowered to thrive.  

Say hello if you’d like to book a free demo to see how Workvivo can transform your workplace!