Supporting leaders to lead, protect and care for their team during changeA practical framework to help leaders navigate change effectively. It covers leading your team, managing safety and wellbeing risks, and looking after yourself along the way.
This toolkit gives you targeted, evidence-based strategies across two areas: how you lead through change, and how you support your team and yourself while doing it. Select an area below to get started.
Strategies for leading effectively through change. This includes building clarity, managing safety and wellbeing risks, and maintaining team confidence.
How to stay connected with your team's wellbeing, have effective support conversations, and maintain your own resilience.
Research shows the following leadership behaviours are particularly important during times of uncertainty and change. You are likely already doing many of these. This section is about sharpening your focus on the areas that make the biggest difference.
People handle change better when they understand why it is happening and how it connects to something meaningful.
Uncertainty is amplified when people do not know what to expect. Consistent, timely decisions and routines reduce anxiety.
Teams take their cues from their leader. Leading by example, with measured confidence that does not dismiss real challenges, helps people move forward.
Trust is built when leaders communicate honestly, including about what has not been decided yet. Bring the team along with you rather than delivering change to them.
People cope better with change when they feel part of a team going through it together.
Recognition during change reinforces that effort is noticed, even when outcomes are still uncertain.
Navigating uncertainty is one of the hardest parts of leading through change. You do not need to have all the answers. Being honest about what you know and do not know. Showing up consistently goes further than any polished message.
Change can increase safety and wellbeing risks for your team, sometimes in ways that are not immediately obvious. These are known as psychosocial hazards. These are aspects of work and its context that have the potential to cause psychological or physical harm. Recognising them early means you can act before they escalate.
There is a good chance you are already doing many of these things. They are part of good management practice. This section helps you name what to look for and sharpen your focus during periods of change.
Psychosocial hazards are factors in the way work is designed, organised, or managed. They also include the social context of work. These factors can increase the risk of stress-related harm. During change, these hazards can intensify because routines are disrupted, roles shift, and uncertainty increases. They are not about individual resilience. They are about how work is set up.
Expand each risk to see what it looks like and what practical controls you can put in place.
During change, workloads often increase as people take on new tasks while still doing their existing role.
Change often shifts reporting lines, team structures, and expectations.
When people feel decisions are being made about them rather than with them, it increases frustration.
When people feel unsupported during change it amplifies every other risk factor.
Fear about job loss is one of the most common stressors during change.
Change can disrupt established team dynamics and create tension.
When people perceive change is being done to them without adequate communication or consultation.
If people feel change-related decisions lack transparency, it breeds resentment.
During change, people often take on extra work. When this goes unacknowledged, it saps motivation.
These challenges are addressed through a continuous cycle:
Name the specific safety or wellbeing risk. Is it workload, role clarity, job security?
Consider how likely it is to cause harm, how many people are affected, and how long it is been going on.
Implement practical measures such as adjusting adjusting workloads, clarifying roles, and improving communication.
Check that the controls are working. Follow up to ensure the risk is genuinely being managed.
The most effective controls prevent harm at the source. Where that is not possible, reduce and respond. Prevention-first is always the priority.
Effective consultation means creating genuine opportunities for your team to share their experience of the change, and using that input to inform decisions. It works best when it is timely (starting before issues emerge), inclusive (involving those directly affected), and honest (acknowledging where input can and cannot influence the outcome). Done well, it builds trust and surfaces risks early.
Some risks are systemic or beyond your authority to address alone. Knowing when and how to escalate is part of good risk management.
Your People Partner or HR Business Partner. They can help assess the risk, identify broader patterns, and coordinate a response.
Be specific: name the hazard, describe how it is affecting your team, explain what you have already tried, and what you think is needed. Evidence-based framing helps ensure it is taken seriously.
Supporting your team during change means noticing when something is off, creating the conditions for people to speak up, and having practical conversations when they need it. You do not need to be a counsellor. You just need to be present, consistent, and willing to act.
The key is knowing what "normal" looks like for each person so you can spot when something shifts.
Withdrawing from team activities, increased absenteeism, lateness, reduced participation in meetings, changes in work habits, or uncharacteristic conflict with colleagues.
Increased irritability or frustration, appearing flat or disengaged, unusual emotional reactions to routine situations, expressions of hopelessness or cynicism out of character.
Difficulty concentrating, increased errors, indecisiveness, forgetfulness, or struggling with tasks that were previously straightforward.
Looking fatigued or run down, changes in appetite, increased complaints of headaches or illness, or visible tension and restlessness.
Do not wait for warning signs to have a wellbeing conversation. Proactive check-ins build the trust that makes it easier for team members to come forward when they really need support.
Empathy is about genuinely seeking to understand another person's perspective. It is not about fixing, advising, or redirecting too quickly.
People are more likely to come to you when they are struggling if they believe it is safe to do so.
When you notice someone is struggling, this framework gives you a simple structure. It is not about having all the answers. It is about showing up, listening, and helping them take a practical next step. It is not your role to be a psychologist or counsellor. Your job is to notice, ask, listen, and connect people to the right support.
Open the conversation in a genuine, low-pressure way
"I just wanted to check in and see how you are going."
"I noticed you have seemed a bit flat lately. Is everything okay?"
"Is there anything you are finding tough at the moment?"
Listen and reflect back so they feel heard
"That sounds really challenging."
"I can hear that you have been going through a lot lately."
Identify what support would help and what you can do
"Are there any work-related factors I can help address?"
"What support do you need from me?"
"Are you aware of our EAP provider Sonder? I can help connect you if useful."
Agree on next steps and check back in
"Let's set up some time to catch up again in a few days to see how things are going."
Detailed escalation pathway content to be added here once finalised.
Free, confidential, 24/7 support. Primary gateway for team member wellbeing.
Financial wellbeing and family violence support services.
Financial wellbeing and family violence support services.
Mental health awareness training for team members.
Central hub for team member benefits, wellbeing resources, and support services.
Leaders often carry increased pressure during change while simultaneously supporting others. Without managing your own energy, boundaries, and wellbeing, it becomes harder to lead effectively. Looking after yourself is not optional. It is what sustains everything else.
During change, it helps to distinguish between what you can control, what you can influence, and what sits outside your reach. Directing your energy toward the first two, and accepting the limits of the third, reduces frustration and helps you make a bigger impact where it matters.
Your behaviour, your response, how you show up each day, the conversations you choose to have
Your team's experience, local processes, how information is communicated within your area
Broader organisational strategy, market conditions, cost of living pressures, decisions made above your level
Workplace boundaries help you maintain capacity over the long term. During change, the temptation is to extend yourself. Sustainable leadership means knowing your limits.
Be empathetic without absorbing others' distress. Debrief with a peer or your own manager after difficult conversations. Recognise when you are carrying more emotional load than is sustainable.
Protect your capacity by being deliberate about where you invest energy. Not every meeting needs your attendance, not every problem needs you to solve it. Delegate where you can and pace yourself.
Set clear expectations about your availability, including when you start and finish, and when you are reachable. Modelling healthy time boundaries gives your team permission to do the same.
Evidence-based approaches to maintaining wellbeing. Expand each to see practical ideas for leaders.
Strengthen relationships with the people around you, both at work and at home.
Move your body in a way that works for you. Even small amounts make a difference.
Pay attention to the present moment. Notice what is happening around you and how you are feeling.
Trying something new or developing a skill boosts confidence and curiosity.
Small acts of kindness and generosity, for others and yourself, have an outsized effect on wellbeing.
Free, confidential, 24/7 support. Available for leaders too, not just team members.
Sonder articles on managing stress, building resilience, and supporting others during change.
A companion guide with strategies for supporting team members who are directly impacted by organisational change.
Client feedback received on v1.0 (17 April 2026) and the actions taken in response. 21 items reviewed — 18 implemented, 3 pending.
| # | Area | Feedback | Action taken in v3.0 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Global | The business struggles with "psychosocial" — substitute with "safety" or "wellbeing" | Replaced with "safety and wellbeing risks" in the hero, landing card, and body copy. The term "psychosocial hazard" is kept once in the risk section but sits directly above a plain-language definition. | ✓ Done |
| 2 | Global | "Managing and controlling risk" — make it more human | Section renamed to "What Can Impact Your Team During Change" across landing nav, page header, and internal references. | ✓ Done |
| 3 | Global | Always use "team" or "team member" — never staff, worker, employee | Find-and-replaced throughout the entire document. | ✓ Done |
| 4 | Leading Change | Update dot point wording under each dropdown — refer to "Leading through change" doc | All six cards updated. Stability now calls out 1:1s and cadences. Confidence opens with "lead by example." Transparency card retitled "Bring the Team Along With You." Community updated to include space for team to process the change's impact. | ✓ Done |
| 5 | Leading Change | Add a callout box at the bottom around navigating uncertainty | Callout added above the resource link. Please confirm wording matches original spec. | ✓ Done |
| 6 | Risk | Callout at the top: "there's probably a lot of things you're doing already — part of good management" | Yellow callout added directly below the page header. | ✓ Done |
| 7 | Risk | Add back in the definition of psychosocial hazards — a lot of confusion in this area | "What are psychosocial hazards?" info card added at the top with a plain-language definition. | ✓ Done |
| 8 | Risk | Consultation should be separated out — only 4 stages, with consultation across all of them | Restructured from 5 steps to 4 stages (Identify, Assess, Control, Review). Consultation shown as a highlighted band spanning all stages. | ✓ Done |
| 9 | Risk | Include the risk management circle diagram with text | Circular SVG diagram added showing Identify, Assess, Control, Review with Consult as an ongoing node. | ✓ Done |
| 10 | Risk | Need something on what makes a good control (prevention vs response) | "What makes a good control" section added with colour-coded hierarchy: 1. Eliminate, 2. Redesign, 3. Reduce, 4. Respond. | ✓ Done |
| 11 | Risk | Need a separate escalation process for situations outside the leader's control — escalate up to people partner | "When to escalate upwards" expandable card added with orange icon, covering when to escalate, who to contact (People Partner / HR BP), and how to frame it. | ✓ Done |
| 12 | Team | More practical examples under empathy and psych safety — what leaders can actually do | "What this looks like in practice" sub-section added to both cards with specific, concrete leader behaviours. | ✓ Done |
| 13 | Team | Callout box — should be having proactive conversations, not just waiting for warning signs | Callout added after the signal cards: "Don't wait for warning signs to have a wellbeing conversation..." | ✓ Done |
| 14 | Team | Add a section on escalation pathways — leave a placeholder for now | Escalation Pathways section added below C.A.R.E. with a dashed placeholder card, ready to populate. | ✓ Done |
| 15 | Team | Needs support pathways — where to refer for additional support | Support Pathways section added: Sonder (24/7, free), Good Shepherd AU (1300 975 418, with QR), Good Shepherd NZ (0800 696 397, with QR), I Am Here Training (SF course 5501), Me@Woolies. Sonder QR code pending — see outstanding items. | ✓ Done |
| 16 | Self | Change "Your Response" to "Circle of Control" in the inner circle | Updated in SVG. All three circles now consistently labelled: Concern (outer), Influence (middle), Control (inner). | ✓ Done |
| 17 | Self | Add examples to the circles — what sits in Concern vs Influence | Three-column example row added below the diagram with practical examples for each circle. | ✓ Done |
| 18 | Self | Add a definition and examples for each of the 5 wellbeing elements when you click on each box | Converted from a static icon grid to five expandable cards, each with a one-sentence definition and three practical leader examples. | ✓ Done |
| 19 | Self | Needs support pathways — where to refer for additional support | "Support for Leaders" section added: Sonder card, recommended Sonder articles, and Team Members Impacted by Change companion guide. | ✓ Done |
| 20 | Team | Slide 5 — Supporting Your Team page shown with no specific text feedback | No structural changes required. Signal card copy tightened. Proactive callout (item 13) sits directly below the signal cards, improving flow. | ✓ Done |
| 21 | Global | Resource links at the bottom of each section are inactive placeholders | Pending URL confirmation. Please advise which links to use for each section, or confirm whether to remove them. | ⏳ Pending |
| A | Sonder QR code | Referenced in items 15 and 19. Confirm the correct Sonder destination URL with the Woolworths team and the QR PNG can be generated immediately. |
| B | Resource link URLs | See item 21. Confirm URLs to populate or confirm removal. |
| C | Uncertainty callout wording | Item 5 callout drafted from context. Please check against the original spec and confirm or revise. |
Lead Well, Support Well