In the last 6 months, 82% of employees experienced significant change at their organization. What’s more is that 66% of employees anticipate additional change in the next six months, including layoffs of team members, significant organizational restructuring, and changes in one or more senior leaders (CLC Building Engagement Capital, 2010).
From the CEO’s perch these disruptive changes are viewed as necessary for the long-term growth and sustainability of the company. From an employee’s perspective, however, these changes are exhausting, nerve-wracking, and productivity-sapping. In fact in Q4 2010 discretionary effort was 11.6% lower compared to the same period in 2009 (CLC)! This environment of change and uncertainty is hindering your employees’ ability to focus, make good decisions, and solve problems, as depicted in the graphic below, Implications of Change and Uncertainty on Employee Behavior.
How can Communications spot the symptoms of change fatigue?
Don’t wait for your annual employee engagement survey to spot the signs of change fatigue. Walk around your building, ask employees how they’re feeling, think about the requests that you are triaging from leaders and internal clients. Not sure what you’re looking for? I’ve brainstormed a quick list of things to keep an eye out for. What would you add? Which symptoms are most prevalent at your company?
How do I know if my organization is suffering from change fatigue?
Are your employees…
- Coming to work late or leaving early?
- Making frequent mistakes?
- Taking 2-hour lunches?
- Updating their Facebook statuses every 15 minutes?
- Resistant to new ideas?
- Missing performance goals?
- Stressed out?
Are your leaders…
- Coming to you with frequent “change communications” requests?
- Unwilling to address employees directly?
- Communicating infrequently with employees?
- Frustrated by a lack of employee engagement?
- Openly showing fear, anxiety, or frustration?
- Talking about a “return to stability” or a “return to normalcy”?
What can Communications do to help mitigate change fatigue?
How are you helping your company relieve the symptoms of change fatigue? We’re in the middle of our research into the best communication strategies to make your organization less change-resistant and more change-ready, so we’ll be sharing best practice case examples in change management in mid-May. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with one idea that a CEC member shared with me last week. At her company she’s trying to adjust (notice I didn’t say change 
) the lexicon used to describe change. Instead of talking about “change,” they are talking about “making good choices.” A subtle shift but a good start to help the organization embrace the idea that change is the new normal and those companies—and individuals—that can create change versus cope with it will lead.
CEC Related Resources:
- Performance-Focused Cultural Alignment (ITT)
- Employee-Refined Strategic Debate (Infosys)
- The Role of Managers in Corporate Culture (L’Oreal)
CEC Related Blog Posts:
- Failure IS An Option. In Fact, It Should Be Mandatory!
- Why Your Change Communication Isn’t Working
- Change: To Be Appreciated, Not Just Accepted
- How Adaptive is YOUR Organization?
on 24 March 2011
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I would add another symptom, and that is a certain cynicism that creeps into all that is new and improved. How does a company address the fact that employees who have been around for a while don’t buy into the enthusiasm that new initiatives should bring? You certainly don’t want to take away from the enthusiasm that new employees bring. Is there a way to acknowledge change fatigue without it becoming the corporate culture?
on 28 September 2011
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[...] While the manager may be critical for present engagement, over 50% of employees have experienced a change in manager in the past year. Communications and HR are both discussing tactics for scaling the impact of the [...]
on 20 December 2011
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[...] Spot the Symptoms of Change Fatigue [...]