Editorial
Employees across the globe are frustrated with the constant waves of change and disruption that have affected them and their work. During organizational transformation, it's common for employees to feel increased pressure to produce, operate more efficiently and do more with less.
In our recent survey of over 35,000 workers across the globe, nearly 40% said they’re facing increased pressure to be productive and the majority of these workers feel poorly supported by their employers. Employees attributed increased pressure to the fast pace of change, strategic efforts by their employers, and current economic conditions. These employees reported far lower employee engagement, well-being, and intent to stay than those not feeling additional pressures.
But the increased pressure that accompanies transformation and change doesn’t have to lead to negative long-term outcomes. In the same study, we noticed that a subset of employees who reported increased pressure maintained positive attitudes about their work and companies. The difference was these workers also reported feeling well-trained and recognized by their employers.
Poor Change Management Leads to Poor Employee Outcomes
Change has measurable effects on the human brain. Neuroscientists sometimes describe the human brain as a prediction machine in that some of our most advanced mental capabilities — such as planning, imagining, and simulating — enable us to make predictions about the future. When employees have sufficient information to make predictions, they tend to experience positive emotions. When information is lacking (i.e., a state of uncertainty), employees tend to respond negatively.
Organizational change — even of the mundane variety — often registers as a threat to employees. During periods of constant change, it’s common for employees to become frustrated that they have to adjust their comfortable norms. Making matters worse, uncertainty permeates transformation and change, leading employees to ruminate and imagine worst-case-scenarios.
Perceived threats and uncertainty hold employees back from doing their best work. Making work harder and more frustrating is never the ultimate goal of organizational transformation and yet that is precisely what happens when transformations are poorly managed.
Tips to Lead Employees Through Transformation and Change
Open Up Lines of Communication
Sometimes the simplest tactic is the most effective: listening. In 2020 — during the heart of the pandemic — Qualtrics conducted a large study of over 17,000 global employees and found that the single biggest predictor of employee engagement, well-being and resilience was whether employers formally listened to their employees. More recently, we found that more frequent employee listening is correlated with higher employee trust in, comfort with and adoption of AI tools. Although major transformations are inconvenient times to invest in employee listening efforts, they’re precisely the times when employees need a voice. This gives employees a sense of control and that they matter, which helps buffer against the negative effects of change.
Reduce Uncertainty
Leaders should aim to reduce uncertainty during times of transformation and change — even though they themselves may struggle with the unknown. The simple act of acknowledging to employees that leaders “don’t know” is significantly better than sweeping uncertainty under the rug. In other words, leaders must “make the uncertainty, certain.” From there, leaders should share what they do know and provide employees with a plan for what might happen next and why. Employees are likely to respond with appreciation and a desire to learn more.
Provide Guidance, Guardrails and Training
One source of frustration when employees feel pressure mounting is the feeling that the scales are tilted against them — their employers ask for more but fail to offer reciprocal support. This feeling appears to be widespread. Our research, for example, has shown that only about half of global employees believe their company offers clear guidance and training on the usage of AI in the workplace. The implications are clear: during transformation and change, leaders must provide clear guidance and training to employees on new behaviors and norms — combine that with frequent communication. Doing so is an investment to be sure, but one worth its weight in gold.
Set Short-Term Goals and Celebrate Successes
The unpleasant emotions that swirl during transformation and change are highly contagious. During the early stages of transformation, leaders should break down long-term objectives into smaller, short-term goals. This increases the chances of quick wins which should be publicly recognized and celebrated, along with the employees who made them happen. Successes, even small ones, lead employees to feel they’re making progress and help them feel useful to the organization, both of which promote the spread of positive emotions (which are also highly contagious).
Well-Supported Employees Adapt Well to Change
Sometimes, it’s necessary for organizations to ramp up the pressure on employees during organizational transformation. But not all pressure is bad. For as much as employees dread being pushed out of their comfort zones, most people are actually exceptional at adapting to change…when they’re supported. This doesn’t mean, however, that employees will face change with smiles and rainbows. The roller coaster of emotions they experience plays a critical role in how they respond. And when they feel well-supported by their leaders, they’re far more likely to adapt and excel in their new environments.
The rate and pace of change in the workplace is likely to increase and accelerate, which means that leaders must make change management part of their regular playbooks. At the end of the day, this all starts with conversations. All organizational transformations should be accompanied by formal change management plans (that’s obvious), but what’s not always obviously practiced is that these change management efforts should be human-centered and anchored to how the human mind works. Organizations that commit to this will find that they emerge from transformation and change stronger and quicker.
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Read more about leading through change:
- Leadership at a Crossroad: Thriving Through Change in 2025 — The pressure to invest in technological innovations might lead you to believe it should come at the expense of workforce investments. That's a false dichotomy.
- How to Help Employees Navigate Uncertainty — Uncertainty can be bad for business, leading to loss of productivity, disengagement and more. Here's how leaders can help employees navigate uncertain times.
- Round Pegs and Square Holes: Why AI Adoption Requires a Focus on Culture — AI’s impact isn't inherent in the technology itself but in how it is deployed. Will it be a means to cut corners, or a catalyst for growth and innovation?
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