It can be difficult for employees to embrace change at work. C-level executives cite the challenge of leading in a dynamic business environment as their top leadership issue, according to our research<\/a>. Independent research supports this too: Gartner found that employee willingness to support organizational change dropped from 74% in 2016 to 43% in 2022.<\/p>\n Across all industries, and especially within traditional, hierarchical global companies<\/a>, teams often struggle to innovate and adapt with sufficient speed. Teams may feel they\u2019re constantly told to change processes and practices, only for leadership to keep doing what they always do. Other employees say they\u2019re never given the reasons behind a change, or the skills and resources needed to sustain it.<\/p>\n As a result, \u201cchange fatigue\u201d sets in. This leaves employees frustrated, resentful, and deflated \u2014 and an organization\u2019s progress stalled.<\/p>\n In our research, we define \u201cchange fatigue\u201d as a state of exhaustion that occurs when individuals or organizations experience continuous, rapid, or overwhelming changes.<\/strong><\/p>\n Too much change at work leads to decreased motivation and productivity, and increased resistance to future changes. Common signs of change fatigue include:<\/p>\n Each new change in the workplace \u2014 reorganizations, mergers and acquisitions, emerging technologies, the integration of AI<\/a>, personnel transitions, new organizational initiatives, and more \u2014 requires an investment of time, effort, and energy. All this change is costly \u2014 and can add up to\u202fchange fatigue.<\/p>\n Yet while many organizations focus on managing the operational or structural side of change, they give little attention or effort toward the other half of the change equation: leading the people <\/em>side of change.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just the size or scope of any single change that puts people in reactive mode. An employee\u2019s capacity for managing workplace change is tied to the cumulative<\/em> effect of change over time \u2014 and whether they have what they need to face it.<\/p>\n Think of your team as having a bank account. At any point, each team member only has so many resources saved \u2014 energy, attention, and interest that can be put toward the current projects and change efforts your organization faces. Handling every change in the workplace, large or small, requires a withdrawal from the account.<\/p>\n The problem comes when employees never have a chance to build their reserves. And when your team\u2019s capacity feels so limited, even the smallest change or challenge will be felt as overwhelming or unnecessary, according to our research<\/a>.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why it\u2019s important that leaders recognize that all<\/em> changes, even positive ones, require people to use precious resources to adapt. Understanding the true cost of change in the workplace requires considering its net impact and<\/em> whether employees have the time, tools, and energy needed to adapt to it.<\/p>\n Studies show that 50\u201370% of planned change efforts fail. How can organizations reduce change fatigue in the workplace and increase the chance of success?<\/p>\n As noted in our white paper<\/a>, leaders get better results when they recognize the imperative to both<\/em> lead and<\/em> manage change. Below are our recommendations to help teams embrace the opportunities of workplace change and handle the challenges of constant disruption.<\/p>\n Becoming a successful change leader<\/a> requires helping employees recalibrate their expectations and evolve mindsets about what\u2019s needed to survive and thrive amid constant change.<\/p>\n Rather than simply focusing on managing change fatigue \u2014 and even worse, change exhaustion \u2014 help teams develop\u202fchange energy\u202fand\u202fimprove learning agility<\/a>. The ability to be innovative and flexible is directly linked to the ability to seek new opportunities and embrace change.<\/p>\n With the right leadership, this can be an exciting and galvanizing message for your workforce. Generating excitement around new initiatives and\u202fcreating a learning culture<\/a>\u202fhelps organizations and their employees ditch change fatigue and embrace continual disruption and innovation.<\/p>\n Employee attitudes about any given change are tied to their capacity for change, not just whether a change is inherently \u201cgood\u201d or \u201cbad.\u201d As you prioritize and plan change initiatives, consider how many changes have occurred within your team and the cumulative demands these changes might have placed on employees. Have those changes been positive, neutral, or negative?<\/p>\n The effort required to handle workplace change and adapt can be offset when employees feel they have the resources to address it. They may even gain a beneficial boost from the change if it replenishes that resource bank.<\/p>\n It helps when leaders understand that change isn\u2019t a problem to solve, but a polarity to manage<\/a>. By seeking the sweet spot of both \/ and<\/em>, they can present change in a way that acknowledges there\u2019s still some value in \u201cthe old,\u201d as well as opportunities to be gleaned from \u201cthe new.\u201d<\/p>\n By asking their teams the question of\u202f \u201cWhat do we need to hold on to?\u201d<\/em>\u00a0and then listening closely to the responses, managers can help satisfy the fears and concerns that a new initiative is an unnecessary replacement for something that people committed time and energy to or was previously embraced as a best practice.<\/p>\n When change is happening within an organization, it\u2019s especially critical that people believe they can speak up, share concerns, or make mistakes without fear of embarrassment, rejection, or punishment.<\/p>\n Creating psychological safety at work<\/a> is critical for candid conversations to happen about employees\u2019 feelings, successes, and failures amid organizational change \u2014 providing opportunities to learn and grow. When leaders offer time and space to help people understand and adjust to changes, it allows them to move ahead more easily to what\u2019s next.<\/p>\n To combat\u202fchange fatigue, leaders need to build their own reserves for mental and physical health \u2014 and help others do the same. Teach employees evidence-based techniques for managing stress, building resilience<\/a>, and deploying coping skills in the face of high demands.<\/p>\n Resiliency helps people handle the pressure, uncertainty, and setbacks that are part of the change process. This is increasingly important as people experience the cumulative effects of ongoing and often turbulent change.<\/p>\n Change can be costly, but so is failing to change. Wise investments can make the difference between a demoralized, struggling group of employees and an engaged, effective workforce. Choose your workplace changes carefully and factor employees\u2019 reality into decisions.<\/p>\n When your leaders understand and balance the change equation \u2014 leading the people side of change along with managing the operational side of it \u2014 it builds a more resilient organization<\/a> with employees who can handle workplace change and overcome change fatigue.<\/p>\n Do your teams react to change, rather than proactively lead it? Enable them to go beyond change management and become change leaders who can overcome change fatigue and build greater change resilience. Partner with us to create a customized learning journey for your leaders using our research-based modules. Available leadership topics<\/a> include Innovation Leadership, Leading Through Change<\/a>, Managing Paradox & Polarity, Psychological Safety, Resilience-Building, and more.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Change is continuous, and it comes at a cost. Learn how it affects employees and how leaders can help their teams embrace change, instead of experiencing change fatigue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":49275,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49274","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","categories-change-transformation","categories-change-leadership","categories-resilience-stress","audience-leaders-managers","region-global","article-type-leading-effectively-articles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Our](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/leadership-in-disruption-perpetual-crisis-cover-center-for-creative-leadership-ccl.jpg\")
<\/a>
\nIn the face of perpetual crisis, leaders must adapt, not just react. Explore our guide to Leadership in Disruption<\/a> to learn how leading with culture, vision, and collective agility helps organizations thrive through complexity.<\/p>\nWhat Is Change Fatigue? What Are Its Symptoms?<\/h2>\n
\n
How to Recognize the Cost of Change & Reduce Change Fatigue in the Workplace<\/h2>\n
Tips for Managing Workplace Change & Reducing Change Fatigue<\/h2>\n
1. Be an agent for \u201cchange energy.\u201d<\/h3>\n
2. Consider your employees\u2019 change history.<\/h3>\n
3. Recognize how change in the workplace is both a beginning and an end.<\/h3>\n
4. Build psychological safety into your culture.<\/h3>\n
5. Take care of yourself and others.<\/h3>\n
Leading a Resilient Workforce With the Capacity for Change<\/h2>\n
Ready to Take the Next Step?<\/h2>\n