Dealing with change at work

the human side we keep forgetting

We all accept that change is part of working life. New structures, shifting priorities, different expectations.

What often gets missed is the human side of it—how change actually feels for people. Because while organisations focus on timelines and delivery, individuals are often dealing with something much more personal: uncertainty, pressure, and the quiet question of “what does this mean for me?”

That gap is where a lot of change programmes start to struggle. Whether it’s a full restructure, a round of redundancies or the “small” changes that quietly reshape roles and expectations, the difference between change that works and change that has a more negative impact usually comes down to something simple—and often overlooked: how we involve people in it.

Why we find change hard

Even positive change can feel unsettling. That’s not resistance—it’s human.

Change disrupts:

• identity (“What does this mean for me?”)

• competence (“Can I still do my job well?”)

• belonging (“Where do I fit now?”)

  
  

Uncertainty is the common thread. When people don’t have clarity, they fill the gaps themselves—often with worst-case assumptions.

Research consistently shows that how change is communicated shapes whether people support or resist it. Involvement, transparency and feeling heard are among the strongest predictors of positive attitudes to change

So when people struggle, it’s rarely because they’re “being difficult.” It’s because something important feels at risk. Most failed change efforts don’t fail because the strategy was flawed. They fail because of how the change was experienced.

Common patterns:

• Too much telling, not enough listening

• Late communication (people hear through rumours first)

• Overly polished messages that don’t acknowledge reality

• Managers underprepared for conversations

• Wellbeing treated as an afterthought

  
  

And perhaps the biggest one: assuming that once something is said, it’s understood. It rarely is; we often go into fight-or-flight mode when we hear the word "change," due to fear and uncertainty, and in that mode, we are not hearing the messages clearly. We need to give people time and space, and constantly re-check in with individuals' understanding.

Restructuring:

Restructures bring ambiguity at scale, everything feels uncertain. Roles shift, reporting lines change, and the future feels unclear.

What helps:

• Early clarity on what is known and what isn’t yet known

• Regular updates, even when there’s little new to say

• Space for questions without defensiveness

• Visible leadership presence (not just emails)

  
  

What doesn’t:

• Silence

• Overpromising certainty

• Treating people as passive recipients

  
  

People don’t expect perfection. They expect honesty.

Redundancies:

There are few moments in organisational life more sensitive than redundancy. This is where culture is not what you say—it’s what you do.

Key principles:

• Dignity first: how people are treated will be remembered long after the process ends

• Clarity without coldness: be direct, but human

• Support beyond the conversation: practical help, time, and follow-up

• Care for those who remain: “survivor's guilt” is real and often ignored

Compassion here isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s the difference between trust being damaged or preserved. This can take time and consideration, but it will make a huge difference both to those leaving and staying.

The “smaller” changes

New systems. New processes. New leadership styles. These aren’t small; they impact our day to day working lives. Individually, they seem manageable. Collectively, they create fatigue.

These changes often fail because:

• they’re under-explained (“it’s just a small tweak…”)

• they stack up without space to adjust

• they’re introduced to people, not with them

  
  

Small changes still need:

• context (why this matters)

• involvement (what do you think?)

• follow-through (how is it going?)

Communication:

We talk a lot about communication during change. Less often do we talk about what good communication actually looks like.

It’s not just clarity. It’s:

• timing (early, not perfect)

• consistency (not one announcement, but a series of conversations)

• participation (not just information, but involvement)

• empathy (acknowledging impact, not just intent)

• Listening (understanding the fears)

  
  

Evidence shows that participatory and appreciative communication—where people feel involved and valued—drives stronger support for change.

For individuals:

If you’re on the receiving end of change, a few things can help:

• Name what’s difficult - Ignoring it doesn’t make it easier.

• Seek clarity - Ask questions, even if you feel you “should” already know.

• Focus on what you can influence - Not everything will be in your control—but some things will.

• Stay connected - Isolation amplifies uncertainty.

• Use available support - Whether that’s a manager, peer, or formal wellbeing support.

  
  

If things feel overwhelming, that’s a signal—not a failure. It is ok to find this hard; it is natural to find change hard, especially when change is constantly happening. Acknowledge and get support.

For managers:

Managers are often the most critical—and least supported—part of change.

You’re expected to:

• translate strategy into reality

• hold space for emotions

• maintain performance

• and have answers you may not have

  
  

A few anchors:

• Be honest about what you don’t know

• Make time for one-to-one conversations

• Listen without rushing to fix

• Repeat key messages (more than feels necessary)

• Look after your own capacity too

  
  

You don’t need to have perfect answers. You do need to be present.

Supporting wellbeing through change

This is the part that’s easiest to overlook and hardest to recover once it’s gone too far.

Periods of change often come with increased workload, shifting expectations, and less clarity—all at the same time. That combination is a perfect breeding ground for stress.

You might see it in different ways: people becoming quieter, more reactive, less confident in decisions, or simply more tired than usual. Sometimes it shows up as frustration. Sometimes as disengagement.

Left unaddressed, it affects not just wellbeing but performance, relationships, and trust.

Supporting wellbeing during change isn’t about adding something extra. It’s about recognising that people’s capacity isn’t fixed—and adjusting expectations accordingly.

Practical ways to support people:

• build in time to adjust, not just deliver

• encourage realistic workloads during transition

• make support visible and easy to access

• train managers to have human conversations, not just operational ones

• Encourage peer support, lunch breaks, time away from workload

Poor communication alone can significantly increase stress and confusion at work, even affecting relationships and performance. Wellbeing is not separate from change. It’s embedded in it. Without supporting wellbeing, the changes will not work, morale and performance will be impacted, and stress levels will increase.

Resources

If you’re leading or managing through change, I designed this checklist as a useful place to start:

👉 Download the change support checklist

Use it to sense-check:

• Are we being clear enough?

• Are we listening enough?

• Are we considering impact, not just outcome?

  
  

If you find change challenging either in or out of work, then my guided journal Embrace Change is available to buy here, it will help you work through challenges with compassion and understand how to move through change with more ease.

Final thought

Change isn’t the problem. How we handle people through change is.

When communication is open, when listening is real, and when compassion shows up in actions—not just words—change becomes something people can move through, not something done to them.