TalentLMS, a leading employee training platform, in partnership with employee experience platform WorkTango, released a joint study that suggests organizational change is hindered by workers' heightened anxiety, declining trust in leadership, and a lack of support.

The survey of 1,200 U.S. employees, who underwent significant workplace transitions in the past year, sheds light on the key roadblocks to well-led change and identifies paths to overcome them.

Employees report heavier workloads, less work-life balance, and high stress and burnout — factors they also say lead to lower job satisfaction and a desire to find other jobs. Highlights from the study include:

• Half of employees (50%) said their trust in leadership was negatively impacted by change. A lack of transparency from leadership was cited as a top challenge by 39%.
• Stress levels soared for 59% of employees during transitions, and 39% reported a diminished sense of belonging at work.
• While 45% of employees recognized the need to learn new skills to adapt to change, nearly half (47%) said their companies failed to provide sufficient learning and development (L&D) opportunities.
• Nearly half (46%) faced heavier workloads during transitions, contributing to a decline in work-life balance for 34%.
• Over half of employees (64%) reported increased anxiety due to organizational changes, while 52% felt burned out. Yet, only 12% had access to mental health resources to help manage these pressures.

Change decreases job satisfaction, raises job security concerns, and results in poor engagement and retention: over one-third (35%) of employees said they were more likely to leave their organization due to recent changes.

Despite challenges, managers emerged as a critical source of support — 28% of employees identified their direct manager as their primary support during transitions. However, gaps remain: 23% of managers reported receiving no feedback about how employees were coping with change.

"This research serves as a reminder, and opportunity, for leaders to show up differently during times of change," said Nikhil Arora, CEO of Epignosis, parent company of TalentLMS. "When people feel informed, supported, and given the chance to grow, change becomes something they can lean into, not fear. It's not just about getting through transitions — it's about helping teams come out stronger on the other side."

Research-backed Ways to Support Employees

The TalentLMS and WorkTango survey has identified the key strategies (full recommendations here) that can help companies improve the success rate of change initiatives:

1. Prioritize transparent communication
2. Invest in learning and development
3. Support employee well-being
4. Involve employees in change design
5. Equip managers with insights and skills

"Change isn't the problem. Neglecting the people affected by it is", said Rob Catalano, Chief Engagement Officer at WorkTango. "This report confirms that when employees aren't supported, trust erodes and progress stalls. The companies getting it right are those that embed listening, clarity, and care into every phase of organizational transformation."

Source: TalentLMS