Change isn’t just constant anymore—it’s compounding. It’s faster, more cross-functional, and stacked on top of itself in ways that leave little room for stability. In the past, employees might have faced one major shift and then a period of steadiness. Today, most are juggling five or six big changes at the same time.
That piling on creates change saturation—too much, too quickly, aimed at too many stakeholders. Saturation drains energy and focus. People check out, and more of them leave.
The opposite is resiliency, or an organization’s capacity to handle more without burning people out. You can think of it as a sink: If the sink is shallow and full of holes, the water drains quickly and fatigue sets in. If you build a taller, sturdier sink or plug some of the holes, you can handle more volume before it spills over.
For HR leaders, the question isn’t whether saturation exists; it’s how visible it is inside the organization and what actions to take once they see it. That visibility, and the choices that follow, separate organizations that simply absorb fatigue from those that move forward through it.
Read the full article on HR.com to learn more about:
- How to diagnose change saturation early using heat maps, impact matrices, and an enterprise-wide view of overlapping initiatives.
- What signals reveal real-time fatigue—from slipping engagement scores to reopened tickets, rising escalations, and increased time away.
- How saturation shows up differently for frontline employees, middle managers, and executives—and why each perspective matters.
- Ways to support employees during high-change periods, including two-way communication, manager toolkits, forums, and change champions.
- How to sequence and pace initiatives to create breathing room and prevent overload.
- Practical steps for building long-term resiliency, so the organization can absorb more change without burning people out.
