Change Resilience at Work- How to Help Employees Better Handle Change

Change Resilience at Work vs. Change as a Threat
We know from change management training and project postmortem data that organizational change often feels like a threat to the current company culture, individuals, and teams.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could increase the levels of change resilience at work to minimize the threats and help people persevere through difficult and important organizational changes?

What Employees Report Being Most Afraid of During Times of Change
Change-induced threats typically come from a fear of losing things like control, turf, authority, knowledge, relationships, certainty, resources, power, competence, and routines — a pretty powerful list.  It seems reasonable that the status quo would seem more comfortable than a changed and unknown future. But change is inevitable and the rate and pace of change continues to grow. And the better we, and our teams, handle organizational change, the more effective we can be at staying ahead of the competition and creating a healthy and aligned corporate culture.

How to Help Employees Better Handle Change

1. Understand the Roots of Change Resistance
   Change resistance at work is often misinterpreted as stubbornness or laziness, but in reality, it frequently stems from uncertainty, fear of failure, or misalignment with personal and team goals. Leaders who recognize these root causes can design interventions that address them directly. According to a study in the Journal of Organizational Behavior, employees who understand the rationale behind change are over 50% more likely to embrace new ways of working.
2. Develop Greater Change Resilience
   Change management consulting experts say that, regardless of the roots of change resistance, it takes change resilience to move people forward. Resilience is defined as the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness. The ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity.  The good news is that if you or your organization don’t have change resilience, you can build it.

How to Create More Change Resilience at Your Organization
If you want to create more change resilient people, help your teams to adopt these 5 lessons learned from our change management simulation:

1. Build Strong Support Networks
   Help employees to cultivate trusted relationships — whether with colleagues, mentors, or personal connections — that provide guidance, perspective, and encouragement during periods of change. Resilient individuals don’t face obstacles alone; they draw on their networks for insight and reinforcement.
2. Develop Multiple Sources of Identity and Purpose
   Self-worth shouldn’t hinge on a single role or outcome. Help team members to recognize and invest in the different facets of their lives—professional, personal, and community-based. When one area is challenged, resilience comes from knowing their value exists across multiple domains.
3. Embrace Life’s Ups and Downs
   Change and setbacks are inevitable. Help people gain perspective by acknowledging that challenges are a natural part of both work and life. Resilient individuals focus on learning from failures and moving forward, rather than being derailed by them.
4. Reframe Setbacks and Forgive Past Hurts
   Encourage a forward-looking and ownership mindset. Teach employees to reinterpret past disappointments as lessons and to let go of grudges or lingering negativity. A positive, solution-focused outlook fosters adaptability and strengthens resilience during change.
5. Keep Focused on the Long-Term Vision
   Resilience is fueled by purpose. Help employees understand the “why” behind changes and how the vision for change aligns with broader goals. A clear line of sight of the ultimate objective empowers individuals to persevere through obstacles and maintain momentum.

The Bottom Line
Creating change resilience is not about making employees unflappable — it’s about equipping them with the clarity, support, and adaptive mindset needed to thrive in uncertainty. By addressing root causes of resistance, organizations can transform change from a source of disruption into a source of greater performance and engagement. Resilient organizations not only survive change — they grow stronger through it.

To learn more about how to be a better change leader, download A New Way for Leaders to Think about Change at Work