Here at a&dc we’re firm believers in the importance of resilience in the workplace. Which is why we welcomed the news that Shell VP of Health, Alistair Fraser feels organisations should focus on improving resilience rather than managing stress. Speaking at the Good Day in Work conference, Fraser insisted that resilience was crucial in improving workplace wellbeing and driving business performance forward. This is especially relevant in light of the news that Barclays compliance chief, Sir Hector Sants has resigned, citing stress as the main cause.

In our view, for a business to be a success in an ever shrinking world they must encourage and develop resilience amongst their workforce. Everyday challenges and personal hardships coupled with economic pressures have manifested themselves into a potentially more stressful workplace than ever before, and it’s important to be able to deal with these issues.

We live in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) environment and organisations must realise this and act accordingly. Potential and current employees should be appropriately tested to see if they possess the requisite levels of resilience or learning agility and should be equipped with the tools to develop this if they do not. Resilience questionnaires and the resulting profiles allow a business to measure these levels within an individual and gauge whether they would be a suitable fit for your organisation. Remember that in times of change, individuals must be able to deal with multiple challenges and adapt to various scenarios that could crop up at work, so you should look to develop this in all employees within your organisation, not just new-hires.

However it’s not enough for individuals within a company to be resilient, your business must also display organisational resilience if it is to move forward in this VUCA world. It’s easier for large companies to show versatility when needed, but for SMEs resilience is equally crucial. As the modern business world presents constantly changing pressures for organisations to be aware of, resilience within a company has never been more important. And while the recession made this all the more pressing, it can’t be seen as a temporary measure. Organisational resilience will be required for businesses to thrive and survive in the future and to face whatever challenges come their way.

So how do you develop resilience within your company? Let us know by commenting below.