Organizational Resilience: 5 Benefits of Resilience in The Workplace

In today’s fast-changing world of business, many companies are focusing on a range of soft skills in their workforce to complement employee technical expertise. Resilience is quickly becoming one of the most essential soft skills to cultivate for employees across all industries. But before we delve into why it’s important for companies to establish resilience in the workplace, let’s explain what employee resilience means.

UNDERSTANDING employee resilience

Resilience, by definition, is the ability to overcome obstacles and adapt to change. In a world where setbacks and disruption have become the order of the day, the importance of having a workforce that exemplifies this skill cannot be emphasized enough.

The good thing is that resilience is a skill that can be developed. And while some build it up through their own personal journeys, as an organization, you need to take proactive measures towards establishing a resilient culture.

One of the best ways companies can build resilience in the workplace is by bringing in a resilience speaker or trainer to work closely with their people in a bid to help them establish this winning culture.

The alternative, of course, is to wait for challenges to strike and then find ways to bounce back and learn from those situations.

Obviously, the latter is not ideal. As a business, you want to be well prepared for disruption or disaster as opposed to finding yourself in a reactive situation, whatever shape that may present itself in.

Five benefits of training Resilience in the workplace

Thankfully, resilience planning is a thing, and it can help companies – big and small – equip their workforce with the tools to cope effectively with challenges while at the same time providing a solid platform for them to thrive in the face of change and adversity.

With that out of the way, let’s take a look at some of the potential benefits companies stand to gain by instilling a resilient culture at the workplace.

Resilient employees are more adaptable

No industry is immune to change. In fact, over the last decade or so, it could be said that the world is changing faster than our ability to adapt. As such, companies that are able to adapt seamlessly are more likely to not only survive the disruption in their business or industry, but also prosper when many others are finding it difficult to stay afloat.

Highly adaptable employees are better equipped to deal with unexpected changes and attune to new ways of doing things, and that adaptability comes with resilience. They are open-minded and flexible, and are able to adjust themselves based on the demands that come with shifting circumstances.

Adaptable employees also find it easier to deal with unexpected events. They are solution-oriented in a way that helps the company successfully navigate rough patches.

Resilient employees are better at solving problems

Much like positive thinking encourages looking at the glass from a half-full perspective; resilience teaches individuals to find opportunities in adversity. Obstacles do not get in the way of resilient employees. They may stave off their momentum temporarily, but ultimately, resilient employees view obstacles as opportunities to learn and grow.

Resilient employees normalize approaching difficulties and setbacks with an analytical and creative mindset. They are drilled in the culture of developing multiple solutions to a single problem, and they are empowered to try out different approaches until they arrive at the most viable solutions.

A resilience speaker or coach can help instil this mentality in your employees.

Resilience improves productivity

Obstacles and adversity will always be there, but resilient employees do not let these deter them from performing effectively.

Obviously, humans are not robots. As much as personal or workplace issues may linger in the back of the mind, highly resilient employees are able to cast them aside and maintain a high level of focus. This allows them to not only stay on top of their work but also to perform diligently.

Highly resilient employees are less likely to miss work through stress, mental health issues or physical illness. They are more positive-minded and committed to team goals and the organizational mission as a whole. They derive more satisfaction from their work and are more likely to find meaning and fulfillment in their work.

By teaching employees the skill of resilience, they are more likely to successfully achieve individual and team goals, and by extension, push the company where it wants to be.

Resilience protects employee mental health

Resilient employees are able to manage stress better, as well as maintain a healthier work-life balance. This can result in improved mental health and well-being.

Resilient organizations enjoy less turnover

Employee turnover is something companies need to curtail. Not only does it lead to loss of your best talent, but also exiting employee salaries can be a huge drag on a company’s finances.

Businesses that prioritize employee resilience coaching have less quit rates compared to their peers. Resilience training enables employees to cope with the demands and challenges of the workplace better.

As a result, they enjoy improved job satisfaction, which by extension means higher employee retention on the part of the company, as well as increased loyalty to the organization. That can only be a good thing.

What’s more, organizations that undertake resilience training for their employees will make their employees feel more valued and supported. This can increase employee desire to stay long-term.

Conclusion

As you can see, training resilience in the workplace can be a win-win for everyone.