Why Focus on Resilience During Times of Change?

This article was originally published by Springfox and is republished here with the permission of the author.

In the current economic climate, many organisations face significant change and uncertainty, leading to restructures and downsizing. The question on many leaders’ minds is: How can we navigate these pressures and provide the much needed support to our staff? The answer lies in resilience and resilient leadership.

Understanding Resilience in the Workplace

Resilience isn’t just a buzzword; it is the foundation of well-being and sustainable performance. Resilience can be defined as the positive adaptation and growth that occurs due to adversity, whether from significant events, medium-sized challenges, or everyday setbacks. It’s more than just ‘bouncing back’; it’s about ‘bouncing forward’—learning from your experiences, setting new goals, and charting a path to achieve them.

To determine how you might bounce forward, ask yourself the following questions:

 “What have I learned?”

 “Where am I going?”

“How am I going to get there?”

The Importance of Mental Agility

A strong marker for a resilient workforce is one that is capable of adapting to new situations and overcoming challenges. This requires proactive mental health strategies rather than simply the absence of ill-health. Life is not linear; we encounter setbacks, get up, and adapt our thinking and responses. Employers must recognise the impact of organisational change on work capability and create environments that support staff both now and in the future.

Building Resilience: A Learnable Skill

Contrary to popular belief, resilience is not an innate trait but a skill that can be developed. Just as we train elite athletes, we can enhance the physical, emotional, and mental resources that drive performance at work without compromising well-being. The process involves:

Experiencing An Event: Whether it’s a major change or a minor setback.

Coping: Employing strategies to manage the immediate impact.

Recovering: Allowing time for cognitive and emotional processing to adapt and grow.

To do a quick pulse check on your resilience, ask yourself the following questions:

“What are my capabilities?”

“What are my limitations?”

“What changes will help me grow and build resilience?”

5 Key Factors of Resilience

Springfox’s 2022 Global Resilience Report revealed that professionals who know how to combat stress and maintain high performance appear to have mastered these five critical factors:

Sleep: High-quality sleep is crucial for mental and physical well-being. It affects professional performance, stress response, and decision-making. Encourage employees to maintain healthy sleep habits for better clarity and resilience.

Fulfilment: Aligning personal and professional values fosters engagement and a sense of purpose. Create a work environment with clear values, robust communication, and recognition of contributions.

Bounce: The ability to recover quickly from adversity is a cornerstone of resilience. Promote mindfulness, gratitude, joy, and connection to enhance this capacity.

Relaxation: Daily relaxation practices are vital to counteract stress and maintain effective performance. Identify and integrate relaxation strategies into daily routines.
Focus: Being present and focused is key to high performance. Provide opportunities for employees to achieve flow, such as designated quiet spaces or deep focus hours.

Success Story

An organisation engaged its managers in a resilience program with the intention of measuring, building and maintaining resilience. The program consisted of six virtually-delivered training sessions, a digital toolkit for participants, and individual coaching calls. The objective was for each training session to provide tangible takeaways for participants, supporting them to unlock a new level of performance and resilience.  

During this period, 120 participants completed both a pre and post assessment. They achieved a 28% growth in resilience ratio from 1.89 to 2.41, with improvements across every category and factor of resilience.

Addressing Disengagement

Prolonged uncertainty and burnout can lead to disengagement, which affects productivity and performance. To counteract this, leaders must be observant and empathetic, recognising signs of disengagement such as absenteeism, presenteeism, lowered motivation and increased mistakes.

Re-engaging Your Workforce

Leaders can choose from the following strategies to manage immediate pressures and support staff through change:

Check-In: Regularly check in with employees to gauge their engagement and identify support needs.

Encourage Breaks: Allow employees to take breaks, come in later, leave early, and take proper lunch breaks.

Reconnect: Foster connection through team-building activities, allowing employees to interact outside of work pressures.

Boost Job Satisfaction: Implement strategies to enhance job satisfaction through goal setting, development opportunities, new challenges, or increased flexibility.

Clear Communication: Regularly update employees on changes and provide clear, transparent information to reduce uncertainty.

Emotional Support: Show empathy and provide emotional support through open-door policies and active listening.

Training and Development: Offer resilience training programs to help employees develop coping strategies and skills.

Flexible Work Arrangements: Provide flexible working hours and remote work options to accommodate employees’ needs.

Wellness Programs: Implement wellness initiatives focused on physical, mental, and emotional health, such as mindfulness sessions and mental health resources.

Feedback Mechanisms: Establish regular feedback loops to understand employees’ concerns and address them promptly.

Recognition and Rewards: Acknowledge and reward employees’ efforts and achievements to boost morale and motivation.

Professional Support: Offer access to professional support services, such as counselling and employee assistance programs.

The Role of Organisational Resilience

Organisational resilience must become a boardroom priority. It differentiates between businesses that flounder and those that flourish. Resilient employees drive resilient teams, leading to better cohesion, morale and job satisfaction. Building resilience starts at the top and permeates through the organisation, creating a culture that values and supports resilience.

The Role of Leadership in Resilience

Leadership plays a crucial role in fostering a resilient culture. Trust and compassion in leadership are essential components that significantly impact resilience. Leaders who inspire and motivate their employees, while demonstrating trust and compassion, set a powerful example for their teams. This includes being transparent in communication, showing empathy towards employees’ challenges, and creating a supportive environment where employees feel valued and understood. By cultivating these qualities, leaders can build stronger, more resilient teams capable of navigating the complexities of change.

Springfox’s Resilience Diagnostic and Model

Springfox introduces participants to the fundamentals of resilience, exploring four key areas: Stress Mastery, Energise Body, Performance Mindset and Spirit in Action.

Stress Mastery: Maintaining calm, alertness and engagement.

Energise Body: Building energy, strength and endurance.

Performance Mindset: Aligning mind and emotions for performance.

Spirit in Action: Achieving authentic happiness and integral daily practice.

Resilience Diagnostic

Our secure, online Resilience Diagnostic measures individual resilience through a 60-question assessment covering various factors that determine resilience. This diagnostic, used by over 80,000 people in 300 organisations, provides detailed insight into resilience levels at all levels of human functioning. Participants receive comprehensive data, individualised recommendations, and a self-development toolkit through a personalised report.

The Resilience Model

Springfox programs are practical, evidence-based and interactive, providing a deep understanding of resilience and orientation to our Resilience Model. Participants move beyond coping to thriving, equipped with practical, evidence-based tools for overcoming stress and fatigue and enhancing performance. Participants leave our programs motivated, engaged, and ready to implement immediate changes.

Resilience is not just a response to crisis; it is a proactive, everyday practice. By prioritising resilience, organisations can equip their teams to navigate the complexities of today’s world, ensuring sustainable performance and well-being. Leaders must take the initiative to embed resilience into the organisational culture, starting at the top and cascading through every level of the organisation.

Is your team ready for resilience? Contact our friendly team of experts today.

About the Author

Amanda Purnell is a Director at Springfox, the Australian arm of the global organisation, the Resilience Institute.  

Springfox brings together a multi-disciplinary team of experts to deliver practical, actionable programs that engage, inspire and sustain positive change, providing tools and programs bringing together modern preventative medicine, positive psychology, emotional intelligence, cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), neuroscience, and high-performance sport.

You can find out more information about the organisation and its work on their website, and access thought leadership on the Blog.