How to Create a Resilient Workforce

Are you worried about your employees being resilient enough to get through this coronavirus pandemic? After all, with a historic number of deaths from COVID-19, a massive unemployment rate, and businesses shuttering their doors right and left, employee stress has skyrocketed.

In fact, a recent survey of executives by Willis Towers Watson reveals that nearly seven of 10 employees are reporting much higher levels of stress now than before the pandemic. (I’m wondering what drugs those other three employees are on … and can I get some?)

And, as far as stress is concerned, the same goes for leadership and management who are trying to guide their organizations through increasingly choppy waters. It’s never been harder to keep rank and file workers engaged and completely focused on getting through these rough times.

Why resilience is important

During a crisis, we are constantly faced with new obstacles and hardships. Resilience is what helps us to bounce back from these challenges, and is key to personal and professional growth. Resilient workers are strong, tough, and able to focus on the big picture to not just stay afloat, but thrive.

A 2017 Gallup global survey of 62,965 business units and teams around the world say that favorable employee attitudes about their jobs have a stronger relationship to organizational success in tough economic times than they do in normal or good times.  

And, to that we say …duh!

Resilience and engagement aren’t rocket science … it just seems that way  

Managers have been worried about employee engagement for decades. Trust me, it’s always a hot topic in all our management and leadership training courses. But another Gallup report found that only 33% of U.S. workers report being engaged at work. While that may not sound great (and it isn’t), that’s three times higher than their European counterparts that have engagement levels around 10%. Yikes!

So, what are the keys to employee engagement that best define resilience and increased opportunities — or vulnerabilities — in today’s complicated workplace? These five elements best separated resilient business unit cultures from others:

1. Set clear expectations. At times like this, employees need leaders who are flexible, agile, and who can confidently reset priorities and involve workers in reinventing their goals. Most important is clarifying their roles (and probable additional responsibilities) relative to the organization.

2. Provide the materials and equipment for success. As work changes during a crisis, ongoing discussions about what resources employees need to get work done are important to reduce stress and improve performance.

3. Let employees do what they do best. Here’s a secret many managers don’t realize: the ability for employees to leverage their strengths in a crisis is the difference between rising to the challenge and falling victim to circumstances. Trust your people until they give you a reason not to.

4. Linking to the corporate mission. During a crisis, people need to see how they — and their work — fit into the bigger picture and how they can impact something significant. They need to know how much they matter. 

5. Coworkers committed to quality work. There is no room for slack in a crisis. All team members must be dedicated to high-quality, efficient work. It is equally essential that teams within an organization rely on and respect one another's work.

It’s Leadership 101 — flourishing and resilient cultures endure through good times and bad.