Written in collaboration with Enthuse Communications.
From adopting new technologies to restructuring teams, organisations often ask employees to adapt to evolving circumstances.
While change can bring growth and innovation, it can also lead to a less desirable outcome – change fatigue.
This article, written in collaboration with change communication and change management experts – Enthuse Communications, explores practical ways to avoid change fatigue and support colleagues through clear, empathetic and proactive communication.
Change fatigue occurs when employees feel overwhelmed by frequent or poorly managed changes, leading to disengagement, stress and decreased productivity.
Signs of change fatigue include:
It can significantly affect morale and overall workplace culture. Recognising these signs early is essential to proactively addressing them and supporting employee wellbeing.
Many organisations are constantly evolving and experiencing change, but not all report experiencing change fatigue among colleagues.
By listening to employees regularly, acting on their feedback and managing change well, the risk of change fatigue is reduced.
To be successful, change should be human-centred and follow a structured approach like Enthuse’s approach below.
Involving employees in the change process from the outset to create awareness helps build trust and a sense of ownership, making them more likely to embrace the changes.
Start communication early with employees, clearly outlining:
By doing this, colleagues can mentally prepare for change and begin thinking of questions and contributions.
Seeking and using their feedback – through pulse surveys, focus groups, or open discussions – shows that their input is valued, allowing for smoother transitions and fostering a more collaborative work environment.
Change success relies heavily on emotional buy-in. When communicating changes, focus on:
Remember, people are more likely to support what they help create.
Frame the change in terms of solving existing problems or creating new opportunities that matter to your colleagues.
Effective change management needs a robust feedback system. Create safe spaces for honest dialogue where employees feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and concerns. 
Transform your approach to change from a top-down directive into a collaborative journey by involving teams in developing solutions and identifying and using the opportunity to remove workplace frustrations.
It’s all about creating quick wins to build momentum, as well as recognising and rewarding early adopters.
By establishing change champions within different departments you can help to reduce resistance to change as they can help to identify blockers, monitor progress and resolve issues at the earliest opportunity.
Effective change management needs a robust feedback system.
Regular check-ins with teams provide opportunities to gauge sentiment and address concerns promptly.
Create safe spaces for honest dialogue where employees feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and concerns.
Document and communicate how feedback is being incorporated into the change process and regularly follow up on previously raised issues.
You can do this using a pulse survey like that offered by Stribe, identifying the barriers to overcoming change. This proves that employee input is not just collected but actively valued and acted upon.
The change journey begins from initial concept and can continue for months and even years.
Ensure long-term success by providing ongoing training and support resources, and develop comprehensive reference materials that are easily accessible when needed.
You need to keep reminding people to work in the new ways and nudging them to adopt these.
In addition to this, you can schedule regular check-ins to address emerging challenges and share tips and best practice from successful adopters.
That way, you can actively check adoption rates and address any barriers that might prevent full implementation.
Humans are naturally social creatures so when implementing change, you need to focus on this. It's important to show how the change has been implemented with colleagues in mind.
Building momentum requires regular recognition of achievements throughout the change process.
Through a steady drumbeat of communication, you should share detailed success stories from different teams that highlight specific improvements and positive outcomes from the change.
It’s important to take time to recognise both individual and team contributions that have helped move the change forward.
Humans are naturally social creatures so when implementing change, you need to focus on this. It’s important to show how the change has been implemented with colleagues in mind.
By showing how others have adapted to the change and celebrating this using first person insight, individuals who are more sceptical of the changes will see that others have got on board and will be much more likely to copy their behaviour.
Furthermore, create opportunities for peers to share their experiences and insights with each other, sharing examples of collaboration to build a sense of community and trust across departments.
This could be done through your normal team meetings to gauge what the current mood is on the changes. Make sure to use concrete data and examples to prove the positive impact of the change on the organisation.
Understanding how to battle change fatigue is a tough task when you need to implement improvements.
With individuals experiencing so many continuous layers of change, both at work and in their personal lives, it’s important to make colleagues aware of the vision for change and why it’s needed.
In addition to helping individuals understand the need for change, prioritise the consistency of your messaging and repetition to maximise the opportunity for change to embed.
Respect cognitive capacity – simplify, prioritise and chunk messaging to help colleagues understand and engage with your message.
Generate enthusiasm across the business for the change and capitalise on the quick wins to build momentum.
It’s important to have ongoing conversations with colleagues and ensure the right tools are in place to develop a robust feedback system, so that you can gauge sentiment, any barriers to change, address concerns and measure progress.
Finally, when you are confident that you are successfully transitioning to the new ways of working, evaluate the lessons learned along the way.
About the author
Andrea Law has enjoyed a 25-year+ career in business communications and has seen the power that successful communication with colleagues can have in shaping cultures and transforming business performance.
Her experience includes spending 14 years in-house working for Britain’s biggest baker, Warburtons, as well as The Co-operative Group.
As the owner of Enthuse Communications, she now uses her award-winning expertise – and enthusiasm – to help businesses achieve their goals by harnessing the enthusiasm of their people.
About Enthuse Communications
Enthuse Communications is an award-winning agency specialising in employee engagement communication and change communication.
Enthuse aims to create workplaces where people enjoy coming to work and feel enthusiastic about the organisation they work for – and any changes at work – because that is what will help your business to succeed.
If you’re ready to take the next step and are looking for help with keeping your employees engaged on your change journey, they’d love to hear from you.
For more information and expert advice, don’t hesitate to contact Enthuse by calling Andrea on 07812 343310 or emailing hello@enthuse-comms.co.uk
