TalentLMS, a leading employee training platform, in partnership with employee experience platform WorkTango, recently released a joint study, “Organizational Change: Cracks in the Transformation Playbook,” 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. Change decreases job satisfaction, raises job security concerns and results in poor engagement and retention: More than 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,” says 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 that can help companies improve the success rate of change initiatives:
- Prioritize transparent communication.
- Invest in learning and development.
- Support employee well-being.
- Involve employees in change design.
- Equip managers with insights and skills.
“Change isn’t the problem. Neglecting the people affected by it is,” says 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.”
What Leaders and Managers See as the Biggest Barriers to Successful Organizational Change
Percentage of leaders and managers flagging each roadblock:
| Low employee morale and engagement | 54% |
| Employee resistance to change | 45% |
| Overloaded teams due to increased workloads | 43% |
| Lack of transparency from leadership | 39% |
| Lack of clarity about new goals and expectations | 36% |
| Skills shortages | 34% |
| Increased turnover during the transition | 30% |
| Misalignment between departments or teams | 28% |
| Insufficient feedback channels during the change process | 22% |
| Other | 2% |
| None of the above | 2% |
Key Challenges Employees Have Faced during the Transition in Their Company
Percentage of employees flagging each challenge:
| Coping with uncertainty and instability | 50% |
| Increased workload or responsibilities | 46% |
| Loss of team members due to resignations or layoffs | 43% |
| Uncertainty about how the change would affect my role | 34% |
| A growing atmosphere of distrust within the company | 59% |
| Lack of opportunities to provide feedback | 21% |
| Insufficient training to adapt to new tools or processes | 16% |
| My own resistance to change | 14% |
| None of the above | 5% |
TalentLMS is designed to simplify training while driving employee engagement and development, and is trusted by more than 70,000 teams worldwide. With an intuitive interface and robust course library, TalentLMS empowers organizations to build resilient workforces ready for the future.
WorkTango is an award-winning Employee Experience platform that helps leaders and organizations improve employee engagement, increase retention, and boost performance while reducing costs with Employee Surveys and Recognition & Rewards software.
