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Unless you are a trust fund baby or do not need to work, you have probably experienced work-related stress at some point in your life. 

High workplace stress is associated with negative outcomes such as poor health, decreased job productivity and poor quality of work (Kakiashvili et al., 2013; Prasad & Vaidya, 2020; Yu et al., 2022). In fact, 52% of Singaporean workers experience heightened work stress compared to the previous year, with 43% of Singaporeans admitting that their mental health affects their work productivity (Aon & Telus Health, 2023).

Addressing the mental health and well-being of staff is becoming an occupational imperative and it is unsurprisingly that the protective role of resilience is gaining considerable interest in workplace settings. 

What is resilience?

The term “resilience” is everywhere but what exactly does it mean? 

While there is no universally agreed definition, resilience is commonly understood as one’s ability to successfully adapt to and cope with adversity, with a focus on resilience being an individual characteristic or trait that buffers against stressors (Block & Block, 1980; Wagnild & Young, 1993). 

Having resilience allows one to adapt to organizational changes and have increased job performance (Kašpárková et al., 2018; Shin et al., 2012). To enhance employee resilience, organizations have increasingly sought to introduce resilience-building programs to improve employee well-being and performance (Vanhove et al., 2016). 

However, merely focusing on an individual’s responsibility to increase their resilience can limit our understanding of how individuals respond in different situations, and how the environment plays a part in facilitating resilience. 

To put this into perspective – imagine a situation where you are in a high-stress work situation. Would you be able to cope better if you have a supportive boss/team or if you have a boss/team who is dismissive of your concerns? When employees are well-supported to manage demands and pressure in the workplace, there are positive benefits to the employee’s personal health and for the organization itself (Stevenson and Farmer, 2017). Developing a culture of trust and psychological safety and having emotionally and socially intelligent leaders (Goleman et al. 2013; Kakkar, 2019; West, 2012) also foster resilience in employees. As such, enhancing employee resilience is a multilevel approach which involves not only the individual but the effort of leaders. 

How can I build my own resilience?

  1. Change the narrative

When faced with distressing events, it may be common to experience pessimistic thoughts and rumination. Actively practising supportive self-talk and finding ways to view the situation from a different lens can help with management of difficult situations. 

Of course, that is easier said than done. To start of, when times are tough, consider having protected time to write down your thoughts. By analysing your thoughts, you could draw attention to unhealthy thought patterns (e.g. associating ability to perform a task with self-worth or catastrophizing) and brainstorm ways that you can change the way you view the situation. 

  1. Practice self-care

Ever felt like you can take on the world after a night of good sleep or after an intense workout?

Well, studies have found that quality sleep and good nutrition (Arora et al., 2022; Robert et al., 2022) contribute to individuals with higher resilience. Exercise also helps to enhance resilience through positive effects on physical health and mental health (Lancaster & Callaghan, 2022). 

Apart from sleep, nutrition and exercise, actively and intentionally engaging in meaningful activities also allows individuals to experience a sense of accomplishment and fulfilment, not only providing a buffer against stress, but also fostering a sense of control and confidence in tackling obstacles. 

  1. Seek support

It can be isolating to go through workplace stressors when you’re keeping to yourself under high-pressure situations. 

Supportive networks can offer individuals a safe space for individuals to process their emotions or problem-solve during tough situations. This can equip one with resources or alternative perspectives that can make a situation seem less overwhelming and manageable. 

What can leaders do to support their employees?

  1. Create a psychologically safe environment

Creating platforms for open and honest communication can establish a culture of trust and psychological safety. Supporting healthy expression of negative emotions during adversity also helps to create a psychological safe environment. It may be helpful to use team meetings as a platform to discuss challenges and encourage employees to seek support and assistance when faced with difficult tasks or situations that they may not be able to navigate on their own. 

  1. Create a buddy or mentoring system

On the first day of work, leaders can consider creating a buddy or mentoring system by pairing up new employees with employees who have been with the business for some time. This can be especially helpful if a leader has huge team to manage and multiple responsibilities. 

By having a buddy system in place, employees would have a source of support from their first day of work, and have another source of social support apart from their direct reporting officer (if any) and the team leader. In a huge company with layers of hierarchy, this could help to expand the network of support that an employee has. 

  1. Conduct team resilience trainings

Given the busyness of work environment, holding frequent resilience trainings and meetings may not be the most feasible. Yet, having a platform for colleagues and leaders to learn from each other can help to foster employee resilience. 

Leaders can consider having quarterly meetings where employees are encouraged to identify a recent challenge faced, how they dealt with them, how the challenge can be mitigated in the future, and choose a few positive behaviours that other colleagues can adopt moving forward. This allows both leaders and employees to learn from others and gain valuable perspective on how to manage their difficult situations, creating a sense of camaraderie, team belonging and support. 

In essence, while individual resilience is foundational, a leader’s role in creating a supportive environment elevates resilience from an individual effort to an organizational strength, enabling both employees and the organization to adapt, grow, and succeed amidst adversity.

 

Written By:

Xavierlyn Tan

NTU Psychology Alumni

 

References

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