Whether you're the founder of a business or starting out as an intern, one of the skills you will find most useful is resilience. The pandemic has created unprecedented disruption and both businesses and employees are going to need plenty of resilience to bounce back. Resilience means the ability to overcome, withstand and work through challenges. Those who are most resilient tend to experience greater happiness, job satisfaction, and self-esteem. So - as a leader - how can you build resilience in your workplace? Here are some valuable tips that we think will help:
Life has changed - more people are now working remotely. Home offices, attics and living rooms are now workspaces. The only equipment required is wi-fi and a laptop. As a leader, your first step is to understand the new work-related challenges that the coronavirus has created.
It is important to feel in control of your surroundings. Because people are working from home, disruptions are much more common. On the other hand, working hours are more flexible. Embrace these changes and turn them into something positive. This will greatly help increase resilience at work because you - and the people who work for you - will feel in charge. One way to take control is to re-organise and split up your tasks. This can stop you from feeling overloaded. Map out your key tasks and plan when to do them. This will stop you from switching tasks regularly. The mind works best when focused on one thing at a time. According to the American Psychological Association, if you plan ahead and don't jump around from one task to another you could see a 40% increase in productivity. Also, concentrate on tasks that engage you. If you feel your work is interesting and meaningful this will boost your productivity (and give you noticeably more energy to perform these tasks).
Communication is the most important thing you can do to improve resilience. Arrange meetings with your staff to see how they're getting on. If people are working remotely, you will need to schedule more frequent meetings to stay in touch. Offer your help and support and focus on short-term priorities. Also, it's important to make sure people working remotely have the resources they need to be effective at their job.
As a manager, you should use meetings as opportunities to build relationships. Engage in active listening to make your team members feel appreciated and valued. Many people feel overwhelmed and stressed in this new working environment, so engage empathetically. By practising empathy in the workplace, your staff will feel heard, seen, and understood.
One of the worst things a leader can do is pretend that everything is fine when it isn't. People deal better with challenging situations when they know the truth. Help your staff overcome their fears and difficulties and allow them to work to their full potential.
A good leader will build trust with their employees. People work better if they feel part of a team and feel they can trust each other - and you.
We hope that we have provided you with some helpful hints and tips. This is, of course, just the tip of the iceberg. The world of work is changing fast. This brings challenges but also opportunities to build resilience both in yourself and your team. If you have any thoughts we would love to hear them - just leave them in the comments section below. We hope to hear from you.
by Emily Moore | 27 Sep 23