What do we mean when we talk about resilience in the workplace? For many of us, work can be challenging. Particularly if you are managing a team or have a lot of responsibility. Of course, it is important to do something that you love, but work is work, you’re being paid to do it and it’s not always easy. Some tasks can be particularly challenging and your team members may have off days or make mistakes that affect everybody.

For some people, being stressed at work can be a natural part of their working life. Some managers believe that it is necessary to have a certain amount of stress or pressure to get the job done – and that sometimes this is simply unavoidable. Therefore, building resilience and adapting the way that we respond to strain in the workplace is important, both for you and your team. If your employees are resilient, they will respond to problems or setbacks more effectively, and bounce back even bigger and brighter than before.

What do we mean by resilient?

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a resilient person is

“Able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions.

And a resilient object is:

“Able to recoil or spring back into shape after bending, stretching, or being compressed.”

So pretty much the same thing! Able to withstand pressure and remain buoyant and flexible whatever is going on around you. But how do we go about achieving this zen state in the workplace – particularly with a diverse team of individuals?

Resilience in the workplace

We tend to think of resilience as ‘bouncing back from adversity or ‘weathering the storm’, but how can we train or support our employees to be naturally resilient in the workplace? Some individuals may already be resilient, but others may not and if they are responding to a situation like it is the end of the world, this can affect team morale as well.

When something goes wrong at work – for example, a workload is increased due to a staff shortage or you lose a big client – it is important to be able to view this situation and respond to it objectively.

If the workload is increased, the first thing you need to do is review the situation. Focus on the tasks that need to be done and see if anything can be put on hold. Reassure your team that the situation is temporary and make sure that they feel appreciated and are well compensated for any overtime or extra effort. You need to understand their limits and respect what is possible, whilst looking at alternative, creative solutions to the problem. For example, you may be able to get in some temporary workers to cover until you have managed to recruit someone new or you may be able to negotiate more time to get the work done. Being resilient is about having a can-do attitude and finding the best way to get the work done with as little stress as possible.

If you’ve lost a client or the general workload is reduced this can cause employees to speculate and worry about losing their jobs. It is important to reassure them and demonstrate strong leadership skills, rather than adding to their uncertainty. Some employees feel safe and secure with routines but part of being resilient is the ability to embrace change and remain flexible. You can do this by setting an example to your team and reassuring them that any short-term changes are temporary and long-term changes are positive.

Some tips for building employee resilience

  • Be supportive If you’re leading a team, let them know they can come to you with any problems and be willing to talk it through with them. Although talking about things won’t immediately fix any issues it will reduce stress levels and enable your staff to share their feelings, get some help or feedback and talk through possible strategies and solutions to any issues. Some people think that being resilient means being strong enough to face a task on your own, but it doesn’t. Offer help when it is needed and let your team know that they are fully supported.
  • Encourage self-care Some people can respond to stressful situations by over-eating or drinking too much alcohol. Encourage your team to eat healthily, get some regular exercise and plenty of sleep. It may be beneficial to develop a program to promote healthy practices in your workplace and you may find there is government support for this too. Yoga, meditation and deep breathing can all help reduce stress as well. It is important to lead by example so if you’re going to embark on a healthy lifestyle, make sure you share how it is benefitting your well-being – nobody likes a leader who doesn’t practice what they preach!
  • Live in the moment We don’t mean being crazy and spontaneous! But rather, encourage your employees to think short-term. Don’t worry about the past or the future. Stressful situations do not last forever and when we look back on some of the stressful situations in our lives we tend to realise that most of the time we can’t even recall what we were worried about.
  • Set Goals If you’re encouraging your employees to get through a short-term phase of hardship, then establishing goals and targets can help them to view the situation realistically, with steps to move through the situation and something to work towards.
  • Get help Knowing when to reach out to others is an important part of being resilient. No one will think you’re any less tough if you ask for help. This may mean going to your line manager for extra support or enlisting a coach or mentor to support you through more challenging times.

Fostering resilience in the workplace

If you run a business, then it is your responsibility to take care of your employee’s well-being whilst they are at work. Not only as a duty of care but to improve productivity, reduce employee turnover and avoid the need for lawsuits or settlements.

By fostering resilience, you can help to reduce employees’ stress levels, encourage them to maintain a practical work/life balance and ensure they can cope with any challenges to their mental health.

Building resilience is something that we cover in some of our CMI-accredited training courses – just ask us for more info.

Some of your colleagues may benefit from coaching or mentoring to improve their resilience and work out some achievable goals, this is something we offer too – or we can train you – or one of your employees – how to become a coach or mentor in your workplace.

We are more than happy to talk through these options with you, just email hello@develerate.com, and we can talk you through your next steps to building a more resilient workforce.