The importance of resilience
What do you do in the middle of a storm?
For many of us the storm may not be a literal one, but that doesn’t make it any easier to deal with the new wave of challenges headed our way. But much like a ship in a storm is helped by the anchor, we can protect ourselves in difficult and stressful circumstances with the help of resilience.
Resilience refers to the ability to recover or ‘bounce back’ from adverse situations and it is now seen by employers as a competitive advantage that can be developed*. But why is it considered so important?
Well, here are just 3 ways developing your resilience can help in the workplace:
1) Protection from stress
Research has shown how resilience can shield us from the potential negative effects of stress in the workplace*. For example, people with higher levels of resilience are less likely to experience burnout, even when job demands are high** and they tend to have lower rates of depression, work absence, and job dissatisfaction*.
2) Improved work outcomes
Resilience is also associated with positive outcomes in the workplace*. For example, multiple studies have found a positive relationship between resilience and job performance***. This means that those with higher levels of resilience also performed better in their roles. Additionally, resilience has been linked to a person’s satisfaction, health and happiness ***, suggesting that people who are more resilient also have a greater level of wellbeing (you can read more about this topic in our previous blog post Time to Thrive).
3) Increased learning opportunities
People with high levels of resilience are able to not only adapt to stressful situations, but also turn these into opportunities**. Instead of simply surviving setbacks, resilient people use these challenges to their advantage by viewing them as a chance to learn and to adapt their responses**.
So, if you want to keep yourself from being thrown off course by the inevitable storms of life, consider using resilience as your anchor.
Learn more about how resilience can be measured and developed.
*Shatté, A., Perlman, A., Smith, B., & Lynch, W. D. (2017). The positive effect of resilience on stress and business outcomes in difficult work environments. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 59(2), 135-140.
**Ceschi, A., Fraccaroli, F., Costantini, A., & Sartori, R. (2017). Turning bad into good: How resilience resources protect organizations from demanding work environments. Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health, 32(4), 267-289.
***Luthans, F., Avolio, B. J., Avey, J. B., & Norman, S. M. (2007). Positive psychological capital: Measurement and relationship with performance and satisfaction. Personnel Psychology, 60(3), 541-572.
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