Surviving Organizational Change
Strategies for coping with change in the workplace
• Anxiety around not knowing and feeling fearful, insecure, and uncertain about the future
• Anger that this is happening to your organization and to you
• More easily frustrated than in the past
• Feeling resentful or angry at undefined “others” or the organization
• Feeling sadness, grief or depression
• Sense of self-blame, guilt or remorse
• Belief that self or others are treated unfairly
• Mistrust or loss of faith in others or the organization
• Lowered productivity, reluctance to take risks or to try new things
• An enormous (and unrealistic) responsibility to make everything OK for your coworkers
• Concerns about how your group’s work will be handled with the changes that may come
• Frustration about how decision are being made, and anger or sadness that this is happening
• Wondering if anybody is really in charge or knows what is happening
• Feelings of inadequacy, guilt, and/or superiority
• Fear that there may be more change, despite information to the contrary
• Concerns about what this means about the future
• A strong need to prove your value to the company or to yourself
• Difficulty sleeping – falling asleep or staying asleep
• Increase or decrease in appetite
• Feeling exhausted and/or like you have more energy than usual
• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions.
• Accept that your feelings are the natural result of being in an uncomfortable situation
• Get as much information as you can about how or if your situation will change
• Give yourself time to deal with this major life event
• Seek the support of friends, family, and social or religious groups.
• Talk with people you can trust about your experiences, reactions, feelings
• Take the time to grieve the losses that change brings
• Be flexible
• If you can avoid making major decisions. If that cannot be avoided, consult with
someone you trust to help review options and to evaluate them
• Avoid taking on unnecessary or additional stress.
• If you are having trouble concentrating, allow extra time to do usual tasks and temporarily decrease your expectations about what you can accomplish in a day.
• When you feel angry know that it will pass. Try not to act on it in a way that will hurt yourself or others.
• If you are feeling exhausted, recognize that you may need extra rest
• Practice good nutrition. Eat regular meals, drink plenty of water, and reduce your
use of coffee and alcohol.
• A moderate physical exercise program is one way to work out those anxious or
angry feelings. A massage can be comforting and a release for feelings.
• Get a medical examination if you haven’t had one recently or if you are
experiencing insomnia, fatigue, change in appetite or other physical symptoms.
• Let others know what you need from them. It’s likely that others don’t know how
they can help you.
