Victoria Cornell, Research Fellow, ARIIA
‘Continuous transformation is here to stay’ (Korn Ferry, 2024)
Constant change can lead to ‘change fatigue’, a condition characterised by lingering mental and physical tiredness associated with change. It’s a feeling that too much change is taking place and can lead to exhaustion, burnout and high staff turnover. In the aged care sector, we’re experiencing not one transformation, but many different changes on a near-constant basis, so change fatigue is a real and current issue.
Who is impacted, and how?
Individuals
- Exhaustion – dealing with multiple changes and uncertainty is emotionally, physically and mentally exhausting
- Apathy – easier to ‘switch off’ than remain engaged
- Ambivalence – why bother? Another change will come along to undo this last one…
- Job Stress – additional workload, fear of job security
- Frustration – at the process, at the lack of process, at the constant need to ‘keep up’.
Organisations
- Strained relationships – between staff and managers, and between teams
- Staff resistance – change in the status quo/ accepted processes and norms, change seems pointless/ nonsensical
- Staff cynicism – belief that the change is driven by someone’s own agenda
- Poor work culture – distrust of managers, distrust within teams.
How to minimise the effects of change fatigue
Individuals
- Acknowledge your own discomfort, and what that looks like – potential additional workload, potential change in duties, potential change in hours, potential blame if the change does not go to plan
- Ask questions – not understanding the reasons why change must happen causes angst
- Remember your ‘why’ – remember ‘your story’ and values that brought you into working in the aged care sector
- Self-care – prioritise all those things we know are important – good sleep, good food, exercise…and fun!
Organisations
- Acknowledge staff discomfort - recognise that change is uncomfortable
- Provide role clarity – hours, duties, expectations during change
- Communicate – often, even during ambiguity, to retain trust
- Co-design, identify champions – harness enthusiasm of some to lead others
- Support staff – emotionally, professionally, logistically
- Celebrate wins - after each project stage and at end, set aside time to recover, reset, and rebuild cohesion within the team.
Key Takeaway #1
Communication is critical. Communicate:
- A lot – bad news is better than no news
- About the need for change – is it regulatory? Financial? Board-driven?
- About your intended process/ timeline
- In various formats – team meetings, Town Halls, online options for remote staff
- Two-way, not just top-down – give your staff genuine opportunity to be involved and ask questions
- Impacts on staff – will there be:
- Change in roles?
- Change in hours?
- Change in location?
Key Takeaway #2
Be authentic and lead with integrity:
- Self-Awareness - understand your own strengths, weaknesses, values, and emotional responses
- Transparency – be open and honest with team members, create a sense of trust and understanding
- Vulnerability - share your concerns, foster a sense of connection and empathy
- Empathy – understand the perspectives and concerns of others
- Respect diversity - appreciate the unique strengths and contributions of each team member
Remember…while constant change is inevitable, change fatigue doesn’t have to be.
The views and opinions expressed in Knowledge Blogs are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of ARIIA, Flinders University and/or the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.