Anxiety-provoking or exciting? Managing how people respond to times of change at work

As electioneering heats up, all parties promise change. Whoever wins in November, there will be changes in both the public and private sectors, affecting many employees and leaders across New Zealand. While organisational change is often driven by strategic and financial considerations, the impact on people is deeply personal and can place significant pressure on wellbeing and day-to-day functioning.

We all experience and respond to change differently. Some will experience change as “unsettling and anxiety-provoking, while others will experience the same change as relieving and exciting”.

While we can’t always control the change happening around us, leaders play a critical role in how change is experienced. Understanding how to navigate change, both for themselves as leaders, and for their teams, can help reduce uncertainty, support wellbeing, and maintain trust during challenging times.

Understanding organisational change

When we think about change at work, we might imagine restructures, new strategic directions, technological change, mergers, acquisitions, the introduction of new ways of working – or simply wonder, will I still have a job?!

As organisations navigate disruptions, restrictions, and shifting priorities, many are looking for guidance on how to maintain employee wellbeing and engagement throughout the process. While change is often intended to improve organisational performance, research suggests employees are more likely to adapt positively when they understand why change is happening, feel supported during the transition and have confidence in their ability to navigate what is coming next.

Through Umbrella’s Wellbeing Assessments, conducted with organisations across New Zealand, we have observed a consistent trend over recent years: organisational change and workload are among the most commonly identified areas of concern. This highlights the importance of understanding employees’ experiences during periods of change, rather than relying on assumptions about how they’re coping.

Our Wellbeing Assessments provide organisations with valuable insights into how change is affecting their people, helping identify where support is most needed. They can also be used to monitor whether change initiatives are having unintended consequences for wellbeing, engagement, workload or organisational commitment.

Although organisational change is often designed to increase engagement, improve efficiency and reduce burnout, poorly managed change can have the opposite effect, leaving employees feeling less engaged, less committed and more fatigued.

Why leaders need to pay attention and help navigate change

A NeuroLeadership Institute poll from 2022 revealed that employees’ willingness to support change at work has dropped from 74% in 2016 to 38% in 2022. There are many factors as to why employees are unlikely to support change but based on results from our Wellbeing Assessments, we believe two main reasons should be considered: the emotional impacts of change, and leaders failing to provide adequate support, communication and guidance. Understanding the role that leaders play in helping employees navigate uncertainty is therefore critical to improving employees’ experiences of change.

During periods of organisational change, employees often look to leaders for cues about what is happening, what it means for them, and how they should respond. This matters because it is often not the change itself that people find most challenging, but the uncertainty that comes with it. Questions about future roles, workloads, team structures, and organisational priorities can create doubt and make it harder for people to focus, plan and perform at their best.

Perceptions of fairness, clear communication and organisational support have all been shown to influence employee reactions to change and their willingness to engage with it.

We see this reflected in our own data, where perceptions of poor change consultation were associated with significantly higher levels of psychological distress, poorer performance and stronger intentions to leave an organisation. Poorly managed organisational change can therefore have significant consequences for both employee wellbeing and organisational outcomes. While leaders cannot always provide certainty, they can influence how people experience uncertainty.

Strategies for navigating change

Let’s take a look at some effective strategies for leaders and employees on navigating change and uncertainty.

Address uncertainty early

• The way people experience change is often shaped before the change itself takes place. Create opportunities for employees to ask questions, discuss concerns and understand what is happening, even when all the answers are not yet available. As Stouten et al. (2018) found, “an effective organizational change is more associated with how well employees and organization are managed before the change.”

Equip your people to navigate change

• Employees are often better able to adapt to change when they feel confident, capable and supported. Leaders can strengthen change readiness by providing learning opportunities that build adaptability, optimism, problem-solving skills and confidence during periods of uncertainty. Umbrella’s workshops on Change Readiness for teams or on Maintaining Psychological Wellbeing During Change for teams and leaders, help build the practical capabilities needed to navigate periods of change and transition.

Build psychological safety

• Regularly create space for employees to ask questions, raise concerns, and share ideas about the change process. Be honest when you don’t have all the answers, listen carefully to feedback, and close the loop by explaining what actions will be taken as a result. During periods of uncertainty, these small behaviours can help build trust and increase employees’ willingness to engage with change.

Practise appreciative inquiry

• During times of change, deliberately look for what’s already working well and how those strengths can support the transition. Ask questions such as, “What do we want to keep?”, “When have we successfully navigated change before?” and “What can we build on as we move forward?” to help people focus on solutions, capability and opportunity rather than just problems.

For employees navigating change, remember that uncertainty is often the most challenging part of the process. Focus your energy on what you can control or influence, seek support from trusted people around you, and don’t overlook the wellbeing basics. Sleep, movement, connecting with friends and whānau, and recovery all help build the psychological and physical capacity to adapt through periods of uncertainty. For more practical strategies, explore our resource on navigating change.