Building a Resilient Workforce

Enhance your leadership skills to better support your workforce, and improve your organisation’s ability to respond to market changes.

This article is a summary of our recent webinar hosted by Alexandra Birch (RM, MSc, PGCAPHE, SFHEA). We're running this free webinar again on 7 November - sign up for it here.

What is resilience?

In business we can’t always protect our staff from change, especially if we want our business to grow. As recent world-changing events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis have shown us, being able to react quickly to big changes is vital for a company’s survival, and so we need to equip our workforce with the strength to face unforeseen challenges. In an HR setting we think of resilience as the “capacity to remain flexible in our thoughts, feelings and behaviours when faced by life disruption, or extended periods of pressure, so that we emerge from difficulty stronger, wiser and more able” (Pemberton 2015, p.2)

Why is resilience so important?

Job satisfaction: People will work hard for you if they are satisfied in their job. If they see you are committed to them they’ll be committed to you and will be more motivated in their contribution to achieving the company’s goals.

Improved self esteem: High self-esteem leads to improved interpersonal relationships at work, which will benefit your teams. It gives your staff a sense of control over life events and an increased sense of purpose.

All of this will lead to increased productivity – exactly what every business strives for.

Burnout – what is it and how can you spot it?

If somebody is already experiencing burnout when a change occurs, you may never get them through the curve and retain them. Burnout leads to mental, physical and emotional exhaustion. Things that used to bring joy can become a chore, and people can become detached and cynical, developing a sense of hopelessness. In some people it can be less obvious – they may still go through the motions to get the work done, but if they take no pleasure from it the quality of their work will begin to suffer, and they will not have the resilience needed to cope with change.

Strategies for adapting to change

Cultivate a growth mindset: If people believe their skills can be improved with persistence, they are able to believe that change can be positive. There are lots of resources on this, so research ‘growth mindset’ and find what would work for your business.

Develop emotional intelligence: To set a good example for your staff, ensure you can recognise your own emotions and put strategies into place to manage them; this will help you to recognize them in others and display the required empathy your staff are seeking. Also work out what motivates you, and you’ll be better placed to recognize what will motivate your team. 

Build a support network: Create opportunities for mentorship and peer support. This might happen organically amongst your staff, but it’s also something you can help to cultivate in more formal ways. E.g. set up support groups that bring people with shared challenges together or implement a mentoring policy.

Set realistic goals and plans: 'SMART' goals can help you with this, and there are loads of resources and templates that you can look up. This will help your teams see that the changes are not insurmountable.

Practice flexibility and adaptability: Demonstrate flexibility and adaptability towards your staff and they are more likely to reflect that back to you in challenging times for the business.

More support and advice for employers

This article is a summary of a recent webinar hosted by Alexandra Birch (RM, MSc, PGCAPHE, SFHEA). We're running this free webinar again on 7 November - sign up for it here.

Browse upcoming webinars and workshops for business leaders on HR topics such as upskilling, leadership and enhancing employee growth.