Change fatigue among employees has doubled this year

The amount of change that the average employee can absorb without suffering fatigue in 2020 has been cut in half compared to 2019, according to Gartner, Inc. Amid worries about the economy, job security, their health and the health of their loved ones, employees’ capacity to take on change in the workplace has plunged significantly.

“The amount of change employees can absorb without fatigue – negative reactions to change such as burnout, frustration, or apathy – has plummeted at a time when more change is precisely what organisations need in order to reset,” said Jessica Knight, vice president in the Gartner HR practice.

To increase employees’ ability to absorb change, organisations need to transform how they lead change. Rather than leading change from the top down, progressive organisations have adopted an Open Source approach to change management that actively engages employees in all facets of the process. Gartner research claims that organisations that use an Open Source approach can increase the probability of change success by as much as 24 percentage points.

Gartner research also suggests two differentiators around employees who can better absorb change:

• Trust: The extent to which employees believe that key stakeholders – leaders, managers, coworkers, and HR – have their interests in mind and do what say they say they are going to do. Employees who report high trust have an average capacity for change that is 2.6 times greater than those with low trust.

• Team Cohesion: The extent to which teams share a sense of belonging and connection, along with commitment to, and accountability for, a common goal. Employees with strong team cohesion have a capacity for change 1.8 times greater than the capacity of those with low team cohesion.

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“Trust and team cohesion each represent a significant opportunity for HR leaders because they’re factors that can be influenced across the entire workforce,” added Ms. Knight. “While trust and team cohesion are particularly relevant right now when many employees are remote and dispersed, the impact of improving trust and team cohesion is similar even in more typical circumstances.”

Gartner research suggests that the best approach to managing change and reducing change fatigue is to focus on how employees experience change, not just the outcomes of changed behaviours. A well-managed change experience is important for changes at all levels of the organisation. Organisations must ensure resources are available, approachable and consumable for any change leader and change of any size or intensity.

“Empowering different levels of leaders and teams to shape the change experience ensures small-scale changes get attention; it also builds greater cohesion by enabling teams to define the desired experience for changes they are implementing,” said Ms. Knight. “It can build trust among employees as well, by supporting consistent delivery of that desired change experience.”

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