How to be more adaptable at work

Change can be scary, but it is important to adapt to it, especially in the workplace. Here we look at why workplace adaptability is important, how to mentally handle change and what skills can help build adaptability.

By Lora Korpar

Adaptability is more important than ever in a post-pandemic world. A convulsing work environment makes flexibility and resilience necessary for career progression.?

But adjusting is not easy. In a 2015 survey conducted by organizational psychologist Jim Bright, more than a third of the respondents said they would avoid change if they could. Nearly two-thirds agreed that “uncertainty about the future worries them.”

“Nobody likes change because change means uncertainty, and we feel fearful and anxious when things are uncertain. It's homeostasis at its best,” said career counselor and coach Andrea St Jean .

So how can we handle change with as much confidence as possible? I spoke with St Jean and career strategist and HR consultant Ana Goehner to find out why workplace adaptability is important and how to become more adaptable in your job.

Why Adaptability Matters

Work management platform Asana defines workplace adaptability as “the ability to respond effectively to different scenarios and challenges within the workplace.” Though we cannot control most changes, we can control how we react to them.

St Jean said to remember the John Maxwell quote “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional,” when considering why adaptability is important.

“An employee who is able to shift with the demands of changing cultural norms – or business, technology, processes, etc. – is going to be a much more resilient employee and person,” St Jean said. “Someone who resists the change will always find it more difficult.”

Goehner said adaptability is a quality hiring managers look for in employees, especially for leadership positions. This is because adaptability shows you possess other qualities like empathy, collaboration skills, critical thinking and resilience.?

Also, adaptability is useful to handle changes in a post-pandemic world. St Jean says that demand for innovation has increased in recent years, and we are seeing greater expectations of how fast products get to market, despite supply chain and human resources issues.

St Jean added that shifting demographics and socioeconomic norms, such as the rise of remote work and increased focus on diversity and inclusion, have also changed how managers and workers behave.

“Every organization in every industry is undergoing changes to its staff, organizational structure, process, product, service, technology,” St Jean said. “The pace of change is not for the faint-hearted. It's ubiquitous.”

“Especially now with hybrid and remote work environments, I feel like being adaptable is not even a ‘nice to have’ anymore, but a ‘must have,’” Goehner added.

Adaptability is essential in today’s workforce. But how do we build adaptability skills?

Ways to Be More Adaptable At Work

St Jean says the first step to handling change is understanding why it is happening. If you don’t understand changes in your workplace, she recommends talking to your manager.

“I think it's much easier for people to accept changes when they understand what the endgame is and how it might benefit themselves or the organization,” St Jean said. “So being able to ask good questions, not in a resisting way, but as a way to get the bigger picture – you’re going to be less likely to feel threatened by the change or get [resentful] if you understand the why.”

Approaching your superior on this topic can be anxiety-inducing, but St Jean says they should react well if you speak in a non-combative way. Make sure to treat the conversation as a fact-finding mission, not a way to persuade them against the change.

Goehner also recommends not just asking “How will this affect me?” but also “What can I do to make this change better?” during that conversation.

“The other thing is, sometimes the manager may not even know the answer, but they might know somebody who can give them an answer,” Goehner said. “Managers sometimes don't have all the answers, but they can find ways to ease the employees’ fears and make the change better for employees.”?

In addition to speaking to your manager, St Jean suggests keeping communication with your co-workers open. Though this can be harder in a remote job, organizing a 15-minute check-in over the phone or Zoom is doable.

“Any difficulty we're going through in isolation is always a little more difficult,” St Jean said. “So lean into your team to share the difficulty of it, and put your heads together to cope with the changes and learn what the changes require.”

Goehner also suggests working on your problem-solving skills by brainstorming potential solutions to issues before seeking help.

“[This] shows that you are adept, you are resourceful and embracing change,” Goehner said. But she added that you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help.

“A lot of people have these egos and they think they need to know it all, especially if they're in a leadership position,” Goehner said. “You may be afraid of asking for help because you think that everybody expects that you have to know everything, and that's not the case.”?

Goehner and St Jean suggest developing a “growth mindset” when facing change. St Jean says having this mindset means “what you know doesn't dictate what you're able to do.”

“Having a growth mindset means that you embrace the learning curve as an opportunity to increase your skill set and agility,” St Jean said. “You don't have to interpret the difficulty of learning a new thing as your inability to learn it.”

Goehner said you must cultivate your growth mindset because it is not natural to most. But once you have cultivated it, you can learn new skills, making yourself more marketable when applying to future jobs.

Coping with Change

“It's not a character defect to find change difficult,” St Jean said. “In fact, that's another thing that helps people cope with change – it’s to realize they're not alone in their discomfort with it.”

Though change is inevitable, it is still hard on people’s emotions. WebMD says change can cause increased stress and anxiety, leading to physical symptoms like headaches and insomnia.

To avoid this, St Jean recommends practicing self-care. In a world where many events are unpredictable, self-care is in your control. Self-care can take many forms, like sleeping well, eating well, going outside, and exercising.

“Self-care is most critical during a time of change because we know when people are stressed, they can get more rigid in their mindset,” St Jean said. “And change really requires an openness to learning and openness to new ideas.”

Also, Goehner says it is important to recognize that people often fear the process of change and how it will affect them rather than the change itself. So she recommends reflecting on how the change will benefit you rather than dwelling on the process.

“Learn what you can control and what you can’t, and then find ways to work with the things that you can control,” Goehner said.

According to Asana, building adaptability feels good because you find solutions faster and feel more optimistic.

“If you assume that everything is going to stay the same, you'll be more upset or surprised when things change and you'll again be more likely to resist it,” St Jean said. “So knowing that things, people and processes are likely to change gives you the open-mindedness and suppleness to be able to cope with it.”

Top takeaways

Being adaptable at your job

• Change is inevitable, especially in a post-pandemic workforce. So being adaptable is vital.
• If there is an imminent change in your workplace, keep communication open with your managers and co-workers to better understand and cope with the change.
• Adopt a growth mindset to embrace change and the new skill set it might give you.
• Practice self-care to alleviate the stress and anxiety that comes with change.
• Remember that life is unpredictable, so manage what you can control and prepare for what you can’t.