Change is not something that we can plan for as an occasional disruption to our work – it is the context in which work now happens. Most workers and organisations are experiencing multiple, overlapping sources of change including:

• Technological change from digital transformation, AI and automation, resulting in a reshaping of skills and roles and uncertainty and job insecurity.

• Social and demographic changes such as shifting in worker demographics, places of work and expectations around flexibility, inclusion and wellbeing resulting in a loss of social connection and a change in the psychological contract between employers and workers

• Geopolitical and political changes such as global instability, economic volatility, regulatory shifts, climate crisis and cost-of-living pressures, creating an existential cloud of unease impacting upon us all.

For those of us who support others at work (such as wellbeing professionals, people professionals, leaders and managers), we need to be able to protect and promote wellbeing even when change is constant, multi-level and often outside of our own working context. In this blog I aim to revisit why change is psychologically challenging and use evidence to explore how wellbeing throughout change can be fostered and supported.

Why does this change feel challenging?

Despite being inescapable, change is challenging because it threatens our core psychological needs. Referencing the ABC (Autonomy, Belonging, Competence) model by Deci and Ryanwhich describes our three core needs, it is striking to note that change disrupts all three needs at once.

Autonomy (our need to feel we have influence over our work and lives) is threatened for example by uncertainty about roles, structures and job security, the centralisation of decisions and changing priorities rapidly without explanation. Belonging (our need to feel accepted, included and psychologically safe) can be threatened by frequently altering teams or ways of working and enabling comparisons between workers. Competence (our need to feel able to meet the demands placed upon us and experience achievement) can be threatened when change shifts success criteria or expectations, introduces new skills, systems or ways of working without enough support, increases workload and fear of failure.

What we can do to support and protect wellbeing through change?

At Affinity we work with many organisations to provide them with the knowledge, skills and activities to be able to effectively support and protect wellbeing through change. Supporting wellbeing through change can't be effectively delivered as an 'off the shelf' solution. The support and resources required will vary depending on the type of change, the audience, the phase in the change process and the type of organisation and we work with organisations to tailor and craft the right solutions. To do this, we use a whole toolkit of models and theories however for this blog, I want to refer back to the ABC model. If change threatens worker's sense of autonomy, belonging and competence, one way to look at how to support wellbeing through change is through protecting and restoring those psychological needs. Both evidence and experience support the following recommendations:

Restoring workers sense of autonomy by:

• Continuing to communicate what is known and importantly unknown about the change.

• Involving workers in decisions, getting feedback or providing opportunities for meaningful consultation

• Giving workers the tools (such as resilience, emotional regulation, reframing and self-compassion) to focus on what they can control about the change (such as their responses and their behaviour) rather than what they cannot.

Strengthening belonging by:

• Talking about wellbeing, acknowledging and normalising the emotional impact of change, making discussions open and safe

• Recognising that everyone might react differently to change and enabling people to respond in their own time and their own way

• Giving space for processing and reflection and encouraging open discussion

• Being available and consistent throughout the process

• Providing opportunities for social connection and facilitating team cohesion

• Noticing the value and significance of the work and the effort taken day-to-day

Building competence by:

• Encouraging workers to focus on their skills and expertise, and identify and provide opportunities to develop new skills

• Recognise the barriers (internal and external) to accessing support and skill development, and meet people where they are

• Provide constructive and positive feedback

• Setting short-term, achievable goals and celebrate team and individual achievements

• Encouraging a test-and-learn approach where workers can try new ideas and where mistakes are part of learning and developing

Final points

How workers experience the change will depend on the extent to which the organisation has considered the psychological impact of the change within their processes and practices, and, importantly, the extent to which managers and leaders are trained and supported to lead wellbeing through change. At Affinity, through working with many organisations to support wellbeing through change (take a look at our case study with Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils here) we see that managers are the primary lens through which change is experienced, making what they say and how they behave key to whether change is psychologically harmful or manageable. In addition to our globally validated Stress Management Competencies, we have a suite of products and services, tailored to organisational need, to support managers to support and protect the wellbeing of others through change.

Author: Lewis, R.

Citation: Lewis, R. (2026) Supporting wellbeing through change. Affinity Health at Work

To discuss how we could support your business please contact us on hello@affinityhealthatwork.com.