Identifying 8 Symptoms of Resisting Change

8 Signs of Change Resistance

1) Avoidance of new assignments

Employees generally welcome new assignments, especially if they offer the chance to tackle fresh challenges, discover new opportunities, and achieve new successes. Such opportunities also open up avenues for pay increases and promotions, making them even more attractive to workers.

Employees may resist change by avoiding new assignments and preferring to stay in their comfort zone of previous tasks. They may focus on the negatives of new assignments, rather than seeing the potential benefits. Employees may also use various excuses to avoid change and may experience physical symptoms of stress, such as muscle aches, headaches, and unexplained physical conditions.

The probable reason is that the employee is not adapting to change and is showing signs of change resistance. Besides some real excuses, the excuses might be fake as well.

2) Absenteeism

Employees who were previously punctual may suddenly start arriving late after changes are introduced, which is a clear indication of resistance to change. While some employees are motivated to actively contribute to work by arriving on time and staying late, those who dislike the changes or their work may begin arriving late and leaving early, displaying resistance. To avoid conflict, employees may express their resistance through increased absenteeism in the form of sick days. The percentage of sick days taken should be monitored, as it may increase rapidly.

Senior employees may also fall victim to absenteeism after changes are implemented, either due to low morale or difficulty adapting to the new company structure. This type of behavior indicates that employees are not comfortable or satisfied in their roles, and the recent changes are likely the root cause if it was not present before.

3) Reduction in productivity

A significant sign of employee resistance towards change is a decrease in productivity. If the quality and quantity of their output reduces after the implementation of a new system, while they continue to appear occupied, it is a clear indication of their unwillingness to adapt to the change.

Employees may resist adopting new methods of carrying out business activities even if the changes are intended to increase productivity. This could be due to uncertainty or a feeling of exploitation. Additionally, some employees may use changes in processes as an excuse for missing deadlines, particularly if they feel pressured to sign acceptance forms by their managers.

4) Poor communication

When communication among employees breaks down after a change, it may suggest resistance to the change. Even if not all employees are resistant, some may struggle to accept new procedures and fail to adhere to them. In some cases, gossip may overshadow actual communication, leading to a breakdown in communication. This resistance can manifest in various ways, such as employees ignoring updates and requests for information, piling up emails, and slowing down productivity reports.

5) Lack of adoption to new process

Change Resistance is a common phenomenon that occurs when employees take longer to adapt to new changes or even avoid them altogether. To illustrate this, let me provide a simple example.

The company I was consulting with implemented a new policy requiring managers to submit all monetary claims through a CRM system. Previously, managers were automatically reimbursed by the company, but this proved costly and the company wanted more transparency. As a result, managers were asked to input their reimbursement details into an online system. Initially, managers found this tedious and time-consuming, as they were not accustomed to manual reimbursement submission. However, after a few months of adjustment, the new system was adopted. Furthermore, the company was able to lower the total cost of reimbursements by implementing additional changes.

Fragment 14 rewritten: It is crucial for managers to recognize the signs of resistance to change within their organization. This resistance often arises when new procedures are introduced in an effort to improve productivity and service delivery, but some employees may continue to resist and cling to old ways of doing things. If left unchecked, this resistance can result in a decline in the quality of services or products offered, ultimately leading to a loss of customers. Therefore, it is important for managers to take swift action to address resistance to change and ensure continued growth and success for the organization.

6) Low morale

When new changes are introduced, managers may notice a classic sign of change resistance: low morale among employees. If previously high morale noticeably declines, employees become more distant and appear lethargic, it's possible that the changes are the main cause. Low morale can lead to a loss of motivation in undertaking new responsibilities and projects, making employees feel uncomfortable. This, in turn, can have a negative impact on the productivity of the organization. Additionally, the low morale of just a few individuals in a team can bring down the morale of the entire unit, which can ultimately affect the firm negatively.

7) Decision Paralysis

In an organization, the reluctance of employees to accept change can impede the decision-making abilities of managers. This can lead to hesitation on the part of both managers and employees when it comes to making important decisions due to differing thought processes.

8) Complaints and gossip

As a manager, it is crucial to be able to lead your team through change and innovation. Without the ability to inspire your employees to adopt new approaches and ideas, the stress and pressure can build up, ultimately impacting the entire team's performance. Therefore, it is essential to continuously cultivate your skills and knowledge to stay relevant and effective in your role as a manager.

Resistance to changes in an organization can also manifest through increased complaints and gossip among employees. They may not express their dissatisfaction directly to the manager, but instead share their grievances with each other, viewing the manager as part of the change implementation process. This can result in the formation of a grapevine network within the organization, which can be disruptive and negatively impact productivity.

However, gossip should not be the only means of expressing dissatisfaction. If the manager neglects to address the change and allows gossip to fester, it could result in significant issues for the company that could take a long time to resolve. It is important for the manager to initiate open discussions to prevent this from occurring.