Common Stress Reactions to Change
Employees express some of the following feelings when change is happening within their organization:
Workplace
* Feeling responsible for making everything OK for their co-workers
* Concerns about how their group/department will handle impending changes
* Frustration or anger about how decisions are being made
* Frustration around "Does anybody in charge know what's happening?"
* Mistrust or fear that more change may be imminent despite the information they have been given
* Competing for control/ownership/recognition of projects to prove their value to the organization
Career
* Concerns, fear, and anxiety about their job, future, or career
* Re-examining how important their job is in their life
* Anxiety or fears that there are no other jobs out there
Daily on-the-job
* Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
* Feeling put upon or angered to do extra work ("that's not in my job description") or make job changes
* Feeling stressed out or short-tempered with supervisors
* Feeling no one listens to their concerns about how their work will be completed
Personal
* Feeling exhausted or more energetic than usual
* Increase or decrease in appetite
* Difficulty sleeping
* Feeling inadequate, guilty, or superior
* Feeling scared about what will happen to them and/or their family
Source: Assist U Employee Assistance Services, Mills Peninsula Health Services, Burlingame, CA.
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