Resilience in the workplace
Resilience is the ability to recover from difficulties or hardships. Signs of resilience include optimism, awareness of your emotions and asking for help. While resilience applies to all aspects of life, workplace resilience can be extremely useful when there are tight deadlines, layoffs or other challenges.
Here are a few ways to build resilience in the workplace.
Find meaning outside of work. While your job can bring meaning, remember to create a life outside your occupation. Why do you go to work every day? To support you and your family? To be able to travel? Answering these questions can give you something to hold on to during difficult times.
Use your paid time off. If you have it, use your paid time off to care for yourself. While having a good work ethic is important, taking care of yourself can help combat burnout and allow you to cope with challenges more effectively.
Learn to spot opportunities. Train your mind to look for opportunities during challenging times and act on them. For example, if your favorite co-worker got laid off, it might provide a chance to learn his or her job and gain new skills. Don’t be afraid to put your problem-solving skills on display, especially if your ideas can solve issues for the whole team. Searching for the positives is one step towards boosting resilience.
Build boundaries. Set expectations, combat burnout, and bounce back from challenges more easily when you set limits and build boundaries. For example, don’t be afraid to push back on an unreasonable deadline and explain your reasoning, such as how long it usually takes you to complete the task versus how much time has been allotted. Doing so will allow you to perform higher quality work and level expectations with others.
Connect with others. Engage with your co-workers and discuss personal lives as well as work. These connections make work more enjoyable and create a community to rely on when work challenges arise. For instance, when working under a tight deadline, a friend at work may be able (and more willing) to help than someone you rarely talk to.
For more ways to build resilience at home and work, check out the Resiliency Toolkit.
