Building a Resilient Foundation: Why Resilience At Work Is Important
A recent UK-based study by Vielife recognised that high levels of emotional resilience are related to greater effectiveness at work. But what does resilience look like in the context of the workplace and how do you improve something seemingly intangible?
What Is Resilience In The Workplace?
There is little doubt that workplaces today are fast-paced which, inevitably, creates a culture where your employees need to meet tight deadlines, while simultaneously handling the responsibilities of their job and trying to stay connected with each other.
Whether your workplace is on-site, hybrid or remote, the changing culture of our times demands a work culture where priorities may change quickly.
But this creates challenges.
Think about this; you might like to run every morning. What would happen if you needed to change directions quickly or if the weather is too hot and you weren’t adequately prepared? As much as you might like running, this might cause you to slow down or at worse, it could negatively impact your health if you didn’t take the necessary precautions. That’s exactly the danger that workplaces without a high level of resilience find themselves facing!
Cultivating resilience at work is one of the most effective strategies for combating burnout and stress. It is the ability to remain flexible and adaptable when faced with challenges and to emerge stronger and wiser.
How your team adapts to a changing work environment, plus the daily stressors that may arise is what impacts the resilience for your team. This becomes especially critical in today’s world where people associate productivity with self-worth and wear ‘busyness’ like a badge of honour. Add in competitive job markets and the changing nature of our economy and people need to be more resilient than ever.
Why is Resilience important for your team?
Resilience is crucial to any workplace in any sector. A resilient workplace is characterised by high employee productivity, greater team engagement and retention. If you are a business owner or leader, you understand that resilient teams in a resilient organisation are better for business growth and better for revenue.
But that's not all, here are some more benefits that resilience can have for your team:
It leads to greater job satisfaction, retention and employee engagement.
Your team is equipped to handle challenges better and you have structures to support them.
There is significant improvement in communication and interpersonal relationships.
Your team members are open to upskilling and honing their skills. With resilience in a team, an entrepreneurial mindset is common.
There is better organisation and time management.
Even during uncertain circumstances like the Covid-19 pandemic, companies that are resilient and adapt quickly come out on top. Of course, it takes work, but it is well worth it because in the long run, you are building a company that will confidently be able to navigate through turbulent times.
How can you boost resilience at your workplace?
Resilience in the workplace is an exercise in consistency. Whilst it's important to stay inspired, how people show up to work daily is what determines your team’s resilience. Here are the steps you can take to boost resilience at work:
Establish the vision of your company and keep communication clear.
Set up structures for efficient decision-making and resolution.
Set clear expectations for every job role.
Promote work-life balance and psychological safety within your team.
Create a culture of trust and ownership.
A healthy and happy team working with accountability creates a culture of belonging where everyone succeeds.
Cultivating resilience at work is one of the most effective strategies for combating burnout and stress
Creating a resilient foundation for your business is rewarding in the long run. As a business owner or leader, you have a lot to manage. We understand that. Remember, you don’t have to do it all alone.
Our FREE, HeadStrong Resilience and Wellbeing Survey, based on the key foundations of brain health and wellbeing, has been exclusively designed to give you a baseline understanding of areas that you are doing well at and areas that may need improvement. On completing the survey, you will receive a personalised report together with tools and strategies to enhance your resilience.
We also have a survey that is designed to determine the unique stressors of your team and find solutions that create a smarter, faster and happier team. All you need to do is take the first step and reach out! You can contact us here.
She founded HeadStrong Training® as a vehicle to teach others the importance of resilience and emotional wellbeing and feels strongly that people should be equipped with essential skills to confidently manage the stresses in life.
Lisa works in both the corporate and education sector (HeadStrong Training in Education) teaching others the importance of brain health, resilience, stress management and emotional wellbeing.
Image Credit: Alex Shute, Morgan Sarkissian
