By Helen StJohn – 10th January 2022

As the chorus of an old Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers song goes ‘Nothing’s impossible I have found, For when my chin is on the ground, I pick myself up, Dust myself off, Start all over again’.

As thousands of years of wars, famines, environmental disasters, disease and more shows us, humans are extremely resilient. More recently, the Covid virus has meant that people, nations, and organisations have had to be more resilient than ever. However, recent research has revealed that only a third of employees consider themselves to be resilient…a concerning statistic when one considers that research also shows that employees with low resilience are over 50% less engaged than resilient employees!

Mindful of the impact a lack of workforce resilience has on engagement, productivity and profitability, here’s a few simple ways to build resilience in your staff…

1. Teach your leaders to lead with empathy – With over 90% of exiting employees stating that they’d have stayed with the company if their managers showed more empathy, possibly the most critical way to build workforce resilience is to build empathy in your leaders at every level.

2. Recognise and reward – Possibly the simplest and most cost-effective way to boost your employees’ resilience (and engagement) is to recognise (and, where possible/appropriate, reward) your staff’s efforts. Even a simple ‘thank you’ reaps big rewards, with 75% of employees stating that their motivation increases when their managers thanks them and more than 60% stating that they value recognition as much (if not more) than financial reward.

3. Improve physical health – The link between mental/emotional strength is well researched and documented so, encouraging (and providing the space and time for) your workforce to exercise, and eat and drink healthily, is an important part of building resilience.

4. Focus on outcomes rather than deadlines – Many people complain of people more stretched than ever before, particularly during Covid. Encouraging your organisation’s leaders to take the time to understand their team members’ challenges, stresses and needs and to focus on outcomes, rather than deadlines, is an important part of reducing stress and improving resilience.

5. Embrace the SCARF Model – Research clearly shows that organisations whose leaders embrace and practice the SCARF Model enjoy a workforce that is more engaged and resilient.

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