Embracing Change in 2023: Part 1

Embracing Change in 2023: Part 1

How to overcome ‘change fatigue’ and create a winning working environment.

Although it is only February, many employees are already tired. The truth is that fatigue is common for most people by December, after dealing with end of year pressures and the demands of always being available and responding instantly. As the new year begins, many have not had the rest they need to feel refreshed, especially with the intensity of the Christmas and New Year period being jam packed with family activities, socialising with friends and other holiday activities. Combined with the new challenges and demands brought in by the new year, this can be a recipe for exhaustion.

Our exhaustion levels can also be exacerbated by changes that come into effect in our workplace. With the many changes that workplaces have already undergone due to COVID, employees and employers may begin to experience “change fatigue”. Change fatigue is a resistance (active or passive) to organisational changes on the part of the employee, due to many changes already having taken place which have depleted the energy reserves needed to respond to change positively. In this way, employees may feel that further changes at work are unmanageable and be unable to adapt to them.

In this article, we discuss the first five practical concepts that can help individuals and organisations overcome change fatigue in the workplace.

1. Do not be afraid

Change is all around us — it is a part of who we are and is necessary because there is always room for improvement. Some people love change and embrace the uncertainty, while others fear it simply because they don’t know how to deal with the dramatic, sudden alterations that threaten the status quo.

One way that organisations can avoid worry and concern is to clearly explain the changes that are being introduced. Communication is key to ensuring that everyone understands that things are under control, the change process is rational, and the emotional responses that people feel towards this change are not ignored.

2. Visualise the change

Work with a small representative group to discover and visualise the result of the change from idea to impact. People want to see the change to know what impact it will have on them. Only then will the process create greater empathy, be more transparent, and foster trust amongst employees.

3. Model in-house change

Before embarking on any changes, it is crucial to get the right people on your side – those who have the right influence to effect this change and reinforce it through their own behaviour.

Creating a shared purpose as to why you are embarking on this change journey is very important, as the motivation for change is often more important than the change itself. If you have created a shared understanding as to why change is needed, you have created the opportunity for change to happen organically.

4. Be prepared for peaks and troughs

As with anything new, big risky changes can generate excitement at the start, but the unfamiliar territory can cause disarray and things can quickly come crashing down.

Family therapist Virginia Satir calls this the ‘Change Curve’ – usual behaviours do not work, so performance drops and people revert to their previous habits. This can be minimised by adopting evolutionary, incremental changes that reduces the dip into chaos.

5. Have strong leadership

Effective change needs resilient leaders that possess maturity, patience, and the ability to pull people together and see the change process through.

According to Dr John Kotter, Harvard Business School professor and entrepreneur, having a guiding coalition — a group of individuals within the organisation who are the social leaders of the change initiatives — is essential. These early adopters bring expertise, energy, and perspective across a variety of areas, and are willing to try something new, even if it’s not perfect, to create the movement of change.

Next month, we will share Part 2 of Embracing Change in 2023, communicating five more concepts that you can consider in your workplace to help your workforce embrace change positively and seamlessly.

Bibliography:

Workplace overwhelm: how to protect your team from change fatigue

This article is a general information sheet and should not be used or relied on as legal or other professional advice. No liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions nor for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any information herein. Always contact your adviser for specific and detailed advice. Errors and omissions excepted (E&OE).