Knowhow: Strength Training | What does it mean to have a resilient workforce?
Have you ever wondered how some people seem to bounce back easily from really difficult situations? Whether they have suffered personal failures, job loss, financial setbacks or health issues, they seem to move on and still maintain a positive outlook.
What is it that sets them apart from the rest of us? Resilience.
Resilience refers to a person’s capacity to handle rough spots, non-stop demands and high pressure without becoming overly frazzled and stressed. Highly resilient people are stress-resistant. They cope well with adversity, maintain composure during a crisis and learn valuable lessons from their experience.
Why is it important for organizations today to have a resilient workforce?
A resilient workforce is productive, healthy, energetic, sturdy, and enthusiastic. Harvard Business School’s Rosabeth Moss Kantor defines resilient workers as “fast, friendly, flexible and focused.” For a company to be “fast, friendly, flexible and focused,” it needs employees who possess these qualities. There are intellectual, emotional, and physical consequences for organizations whose workers feel stressed and overwhelmed most of the time.
Coping Mechanisms
Highly resilient workers are able to cope well with high levels of on-going, disruptive change. They’re quickly able to change to a new way of working when the old way is no longer working. The more resilient a workforce, the more it can handle heavy workloads, pressures and major changes.
To have a productive, “fast, friendly, flexible, and focused” workforce where employees help you achieve your goals, you need to know how to create a work experience and a work environment that fosters resilience. Here are five ways to build resilience in your workforce:
Promote change as an opportunity for learning and growth. Resilient people see change as a challenge to deal with and defeat, rather than see it as an intolerable problem or a situation to avoid. Find ways to relay changes in a way that fosters organizational and individual learning.
Be optimistic with communications. People with an optimistic outlook do better at managing stress and chaos. Find ways to communicate information optimistically.
Build good social support systems for the organization. Resilient people rely on others to help them survive tough times. Develop a robust social support network so employees have an outlet to help each other lessen the impact of stress.
Use problem-solving methodologies. Resilient people use logic and their creativity to solve problems. Have a focused methodology for solving problems so employees will feel in control of problems rather than feeling like they have no choices.
Promote health. Resilient people take care of their bodies and minds. They exercise regularly, take time for relaxing activities and maintain balance in their lives. Identify sources of stress and eliminate as many as possible. Communicate the need for exercise and healthy eating.
Resilience will not prevent challenges. However, if you identify which factors your organization needs to become more resilient, you can develop strategies to help stress-proof your workforce.
Debbie Bercume and Lynne Couture are coaches, consultants and facilitators. Their book, “Practical Strategies for Solving Workplace Problems,” will be published in 2010.
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