Some Ways to Handle Change Fatigue

Some strategies applicable to leadership, communication, planning and wellbeing to handle change fatigue

A. Manage the Environment

1. Prioritise and sequence change

• Avoid launching back-to-back initiatives.
• Use a change heat map to track load across teams.
• Pause or slow non-critical projects.

2. Reduce competing demands

• Remove or defer old tasks when new ones are added.
• Align every change to strategic priorities to avoid clutter.

3. Ensure resourcing and capacity

• Provide dedicated time for change tasks.
• Allocate extra support during peak periods (coaches, training, tools, etc).

B. Leadership Behaviours

4. Show empathy and acknowledge the load

Leaders should name the fatigue: ‘We know this is a lot, and it’s normal to feel stretched.’

This builds psychological safety and trust.

5. Be visible and consistent

Consistency reduces uncertainty which is one of the biggest drivers of fatigue.

6. Role-model boundaries

Encourage rest, realistic workloads and recovery time.

C. Communication

7. Make communication honest, simple and predictable

Provide a clear ‘what, why, how, and when’.

Avoid jargon; ambiguity drains cognitive load.

Provide regular updates, like weekly, during intense phases.

8. Share progress and quick wins

Seeing momentum restores energy and belief.

9. Reinforce the ‘stop doing’ list

Show what is being removed to create capacity.

D. Engagement & Involvement

10. Involve people early

Engagement increases ownership and reduces resistance.

11. Co-design solutions

Invite staff to shape processes, training, workflows, etc.

12. Give teams micro-choices

Small choices restore a sense of control (order of tasks, timing, methods).

E. Support Wellbeing & Recovery

13. Build in recovery cycles

Just like athletes, stakeholders need downtime after heavy change.
Examples:

• No-meeting zones
• Focus days
• Light weeks after ‘go-lives’

14. Offer wellbeing resources

Prioritise training, burnout prevention, coaching, or employee assistance programs (EAP) support.

15. Celebrate contributions

Recognition boosts dopamine and counteracts fatigue.

(main source: Ruben Dool, et al, 2022)