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DAY IN, day out, the same old work day – that was once the case for many people. But today, digitalisation can mean constant changes in your work life as new software is introduced, workflows are revised and teams are restructured.
This can bring welcome variety, because a job without fresh challenges can wear thin. But change can also be overwhelming because the pace is too fast, structures can no longer consolidate, or it simply becomes too much.
“Changes in the world of work unsettle many employees,” says Cornelia Niessen, professor of industrial and organisational psychology at Germany’s University of Erlangen.
There are often mixed feelings involved: changes may be seen as positive challenges, says Niessen. However, many people also feel threatened and worry they won’t be able to cope with the new tasks and may possibly even lose their job.
Fear, however, can set a disastrous spiral in motion: “If you are afraid, you don’t learn as well and you are less able to adapt to a new situation,” says Niessen.
Uncertainty is often accompanied by a feeling of being at the mercy of things, of having to go along with changes without being allowed to help shape them. But even if the management makes decisions without involving the employees, passive waiting and antsy avoidance are the worst courses to take, say experts.
“A positive approach to change must be visible and tangible, otherwise you’ll be blocked by your subconscious, which unfortunately is not keen on change at all,” says career coach Martina Nohl, who advises people who feel stuck in professional change processes.
But how is that supposed to work when you are already struggling in the face of unfamiliar new tasks – not to mention that invitation in your mailbox to attend training for the new digital tool?
“The best way I know is to voluntarily face challenges of change again and again in your private life,” says Nohl.
However, you shouldn’t make it too easy for yourself, the coach adds. A little “flutter in the stomach” is important: “With this experience of self-efficacy, you can then also tackle professional change projects. The principles of change are always the same.”
Sometimes it feels like all you’re doing at work is getting used to new and unfamiliar structures – even when you’re not starting a new job.
Talk to colleagues
It can also help to talk to colleagues who give you the impression that they are coping well with change, says Nohl. How do they manage to remain open to new things and retain the desire to learn?
The problem with many change processes is that those in charge are very busy themselves, are constantly in meetings and are hardly present. “In the worst case, the team is left to its own devices,” says the psychologist Niessen.
This can set negative processes in motion in different directions: Either the feeling of insecurity welds them together, while also intensifying anxieties and a sense of rejection. Or those who are less able to cope with the innovations are sidelined.
“However, it is crucial for success that the individual feels that he or she is in good hands in the team, that everyone is pulling in the same direction,” says Niessen.
This does not automatically mean that everyone has to be able to do the same thing. Rather, it is important to “initiate reflection in everyone as to where the right balance could be.”
There is a persistent prejudice that older people have more problems adjusting to new things and continuing their education. But studies show no direct connection between age and adaptability, says Niessen.
Nevertheless, it happens that team members are no longer offered training because of their age: “That is discriminatory.” In any case, a positive learning climate that makes people want to continue their education is crucial, especially in the face of continuous change, she stresses.
And what if, despite everything, you feel that you are no longer in the right place, and that you can no longer escape the overload?
In that case, seeking a new job can of course make sense, says career coach Nohl: “However, don’t forget that you always take yourself and your actual range of change competences with you.” – dpa
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