Christine Muldoon is the senior vice president of marketing and strategy at WebMD Health Services.
Employees are navigating workplace change at an accelerating pace—from the adoption of AI and new technologies to shifts in roles, skills and business strategy. Deloitte’s “2026 Global Human Capital Trends” found that “one-third of workers experienced 15 major changes in the past year alone.” This sustained pace of change is taking a toll, with respondents reporting decreased well-being, increased workload and feeling less relevant or left behind.
In this environment, resilience—the ability to adapt to change and bounce back from stressful events—is increasingly crucial. But my company’s “2026 Workplace and Employee Survey Report” revealed a gap when it comes to employee resilience. While most employees are confident in their own ability to handle and adapt to changes at work, more than a third feel their organization doesn’t provide adequate support.
Individual resilience alone can’t sustain a workforce through prolonged and compounding change. Without structured organizational support, even the most capable and adaptable employees will face limits. Employers have a responsibility to build the systems, programs and culture that sustain and strengthen resilience at scale.
4 Ways To Support Employees In Times Of Change
While no organization can eliminate the uncertainty of constant change, they can influence whether their employees feel supported through it. Here are four ways organizations can demonstrate support and care.
1. Offer a holistic, integrated well-being program.
The McKinsey Health Institute, in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, noted the connection between healthy employees and resilience. When people feel balance across all aspects of their life, they’re more likely to be productive, engaged and quick to adapt. Therefore, a well-being program that’s designed and executed with genuine intention is one of the most consistent, visible signals of support that employers can send.
Of course, simply having a program isn’t enough. The most effective well-being strategies create connected experiences that support employees holistically, whether they’re managing financial stress, burnout, caregiving responsibilities, chronic conditions or all of those at once. It’s particularly important for programs to support mental, social and financial well-being. According to our report, these aspects of well-being have declined at a rate that’s up to four times greater than physical well-being.
Additionally, successful well-being programs aren’t one size fits all. They empower employees to achieve their own version of well-being by personalizing content and offerings based on individual needs and behaviors.
2. Cultivate a culture of care.
Providing the best support for employees doesn’t mean offering the most benefits and programs. It means demonstrating genuine care in ways that employees can see and feel.
A hallmark of a caring culture is a psychologically safe environment, where employees feel comfortable speaking up without fear. It’s one where employee feedback is sought out, carefully considered and meaningfully acted upon. Leaders keep employees informed of policies and changes that affect them, and managers offer flexibility, support and regular recognition. Finally, a culture of care fosters a sense of belonging and purpose in each member of the team.
3. Support middle managers’ unique needs.
Middle managers are being asked to hold organizations together under immense pressure. They’re expected to manage upward and downward, drive culture, champion strategy and nurture their teams. Unsurprisingly, our research found that senior managers are carrying the heaviest burnout burden.
What can help strengthen middle managers’ resilience? Clearly, it needs to go beyond teaching them to cope better. Executive leadership must help managers distinguish between what they can control and what they can’t, build recovery into the workday and establish a strong peer network. Ultimately, organizations shouldn’t simply ask managers to become more resilient. They need to create conditions that make resilience possible.
4. Foster organizational trust.
In a workplace defined by continuous change, trust may be the most valuable investment an organization can make. Employers that intentionally foster trust through consistent care and support will be better positioned to build a resilient, engaged workforce. Why? Trust and well-being are linked. MetLife’s “2025 Employee Benefit Trends Study” found that “employees who trust and feel cared for by their employer are more likely to feel holistically healthy.” And, as we’ve noted previously, for employees to effectively navigate the uncertainty associated with change, they must first be well.
Employee well-being is trending downward at a time when organizations’ capacity to adapt, recover and perform is being put to the test. It’s clear that, in times of change, well-being isn’t a secondary consideration. It’s a prerequisite.
Organizations that offer an integrated, trust-centered and people-first well-being strategy will be better equipped to support their workforce, strengthen their culture and build the collective resilience needed to thrive in an ever-changing world.
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