Unresolved workplace changes are a stronger predictor of employee burnout than the amount of change teams experience, according to research from Wiley Workplace Intelligence. The study describes the accumulation of changes that were introduced without adequate explanation or follow-through as “change debt.”
Restructuring and new leadership were among the factors employees associated with this burden. More than half of respondents said their company’s biggest changes had taken place seven to 12 months earlier, suggesting that older disruptions can continue to affect day-to-day work.
The research found that the volume of change accounted for 4% of the variance in burnout. Whether earlier changes had been explained and brought to a close predicted burnout five times more strongly than change volume. Lingering problems from a previous change also weighed three times more heavily on employees than uncertainty about the rationale for a current shift.
Wiley said employees were generally not opposed to change itself, but were dissatisfied with how organizations handled it. Unresolved upheavals can disrupt workflows and leave employees feeling overwhelmed, while also weakening trust in leadership. Over time, that strain can affect engagement and contribute to employees questioning whether to stay with the organization.
The research recommends that leaders address unresolved issues from previous changes before asking employees to embrace new ones. Repeatedly announcing changes without closing the loop on earlier efforts, Wiley noted, can undermine an organization’s credibility.
Sources: HR Dive.