Reasons Employees Resist Change

There are 5 primary reasons for employees resisting change

i) lack of awareness about the purpose and reason for change (need to communicate details and business reasons for the change, including clarity about roles and responsibilities in the change; need to able to answer "what's in it for me?')

ii) change in job role (this could include increased workload, job description changes, new behavioural requirements, etc; concerns can be about:

        a) need to learn a new system of technology

        b) time required to adopt the new change

        c) lack of incentive

        d) decreased autonomy and control

        e) loss of power, status or identity, etc.

iii) fear of the unknown (this is linked with potential job losses and lower compensation; uncertainty about the future, ie theirs and the organisation; worried about ability to handle new technology, new culture; depth of comfort with the status quo, etc)

iv) lack of support for or trust in leaders (poor role modelling, ie managers displaying high resistance or reduced support for the change has a direct negative impact on employees' behaviour and support for the change)

v) exclusion from change-related decisions
("...employees who are not included in the decision to change and the design of solutions often resist change. Commonly, front-line employees feel unheard as well is threatened, betrayed, blind-sided or targeted by change. Employees want to be part of the process of preparing, equipping and supporting people, as well as contributing to the change sequencing. Transparency and communications during the planning process is important to countering  this resistance..."
Tim Creasey, 2022a