By Lorna Stearns and Peter B. Soule, SAP Insights

Even the most basic process and organizational changes can require workforce recalibrations that take time and energy. For employees today, the series of shifts can feel relentless, and if not managed effectively, they can lead to change fatigue. Beyond being an issue for human resources, there are rising concerns that change fatigue could erode productivity and ultimately affect top and bottom-line profits.

When we discuss change fatigue, we’re talking about a general sense of apathy, resistance, or passive acceptance toward organizational changes. Chronic fatigue shares symptoms with burnout, a state of chronic physical and emotional exhaustion caused by workplace stress. Change fatigue also can lead to quiet quitting, a trend that occurred in the pandemic’s wake, as some employees chose to do only the minimum work required for their jobs.

Change is part of business. But even if leaders can’t stop changes from happening, they can act to prevent its ill effects. Among the actions we recommend include communicating early and often about what is happening and why; supporting workers who need help dealing with change; celebrating when things go well; and cultivating camaraderie among employees’ teams.

Below we review four strategies leaders and managers can use to support their people.

1. Support workers who need help with change

Coaching effectively and enlisting people to be on the lookout for those in need of support can help people cope with feelings of constant change. For some organizations, this means coaching managers about changes and equipping them with the skills and words to pass along information to others in concrete, easy-to-understand terms.

A classic 2019 study at the Mayo Clinic, in which the institute coached doctors to prevent burnout, offers an illustrative example. Coaching sessions provided to 88 mid-career physicians sought to help them weather a particularly tumultuous time. Every participant received six coaching sessions. At the end of this period, emotional exhaustion had decreased by 19.5% and symptoms of burnout decreased by 17.1%.

Focusing on key managers is one step. Another is to grow a network of in-house influencers to drum up support for changes ahead while distributing important information about those changes.

This was precisely the strategy at Lloyds Bank when the company found itself in a period of change. Leaders, concerned that they would lose talented workers during a transformation project to drive growth, identified in-house influencers they called catalysts, as a recent Accenture report notes.

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They found more than 6,000 catalysts from across the company—10% of the workforce—to build support. The bank’s leaders say these employees are constant in their adherence to the organization’s goals. “They are also proactive about asking for help, for themselves and others. Moreover, they empower those around them to do the same, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.”

The Lloyds Bank example illustrates the value of identifying frontline leaders who can help bring about change. Assessment tools are also valuable in helping businesses understand the type of coaching that would be most relevant to their employees’ receptiveness to change.

Note: leaders and experts we’ve spoken with point out it’s best when leaders implement these approaches before big changes start.

2. Explain what is happening and why

Clear communications are another way for companies to help employees feel less overwhelmed.

As one expert told us, change fatigue is really about feeling disempowered and feeling overwhelmed at whatever is coming at you.

Another noted to us that the style of communication is less important than the fact that it occurs. Check-ins can be in person or virtual. Workers will recognize the effort. They will appreciate the opportunity to talk through what’s happening.

3. Celebrate successes

When changes overwhelm employees, they can get accustomed to associating their workplaces with negative feelings. Businesses can offset that by inserting genuine reasons to feel good, and—importantly—to build up a sense of community. How? By highlighting good news happenings at work and celebrating them.

Social bonding through shared experiences fosters relationships, strengthens interpersonal ties, and provides emotional support. For example, one leader we know works with her team to prepare a list of accomplishments to share and celebrate every Friday. Other ideas: public recognition on a company intranet, a Slack channel, during an all-hands meeting, in a weekly email update about company happenings.

Higher profile productions can work, too, such as getting C-level executives to shout-out successes during meetings. Asking employees to submit suggestions for these events, when shared with all, can be a morale boost.

4. Cultivate camaraderie

Camaraderie is crucial during stressful situations because it allows individuals to feel less alone, more supported, and better able to cope with pressure by sharing burdens and receiving emotional encouragement from trusted peers. This ultimately leads to reduced stress levels and improved mental well-being.

Focusing on employee wellness can also help build a sense of teamwork and belonging. Understanding that each change, or a series of changes, can affect different employees in different ways. To blunt the potential for change fatigue, a sensitive manager will recognize this and work to make each person on the team comfortable with whatever shifts the company needs to implement.

The key to effective change management is engaging employees early on. Provide them with clear and open communications about what is happening and why. And give them an opportunity to collaborate with managers and leaders on the best paths forward for them and the organization.

Read the full article at SAP.com.