Resiliency: Ability to recover rapidly from illness, change or misfortune. Buoyancy. Elasticity.
–Webster’s New College Dictionary
Go with the flow. Thrive under pressure. Keep on keeping on.
All these terms describe someone who’s resilient–a trait especially needed in today’s stressful and rapidly changing workplace.
“Being resilient is critical today. People have come through the rah-rah ’90s– which were great for you, but also exhausting because you worked longer hours and had the relentless pressure of the global marketplace.
“Now you have to deal with the stress of economic conditions and uncertainty about employment. And, at the same time, the state of business today is that people have to perform optimally under consistently stressful and challenging conditions.”
That’s the observation of an expert on the subject, Karen F. Noble, senior consultant at WFD Consulting, a work/life consulting firm in Watertown, Mass. Noble, who has a master’s degree in psychology and has been in consulting since 1978, reports that a recent survey by her firm shows that only 52 percent of 1,249 workers said they are able to manage the daily pressures of their jobs.
Slightly more than half–54 percent–asserted they can maintain their job performance during times of change; 25 percent reported being physically or mentally drained by the end of the day; only 42 percent responded that they “always have enough energy” to complete their responsibilities both at home and at work.
“Resiliency is the ability to bounce back from difficulties, to manage pressure and to adapt quickly to change while you continue to perform your work at a high level,” said Noble. “It means thriving in the face of challenge.”
The consultant has observed an increasing need for workers to be resilient. “The train’s been on the track for the last six to nine years,” said Noble. “And now workers are beginning to bottom out. At the same time, many companies are starting to recognize this phenomenon and the need for their employees to be fully engaged for the business to compete at a high level.”
Being able to survive change is such a necessity in the world of work/life balance that Noble’s organization has devised a “resiliency survey” and a briefer “resiliency scorecard” to help companies identify practices that “deter elasticity.” Often, a key cause of stress–the opposite of resiliency–is lack of employer support.
As a result, Noble reports that some businesses that are trying to train employees to be more resilient are focusing on “habits, health, diet and time for yourself.” And, of course, flexible scheduling.
“One executive even established a committee for employees that created fun activities in the workplace,” the consultant said. “As a result, employee satisfaction increased and business results went up.”
I asked Noble where she ranks on the resiliency scale. “I’m pretty resilient, because my company is there for me,” she said.
In 1993, for example, when the consultant was a single mother with two children, ages 8 and 10, Noble was supposed to go to California–the opposite coast–for interviews with executives and to run a focus group for hundreds of people.
“But my baby-sitter literally fell off this planet,” she said. “I called my manager and he told me not to worry, just to do what I had to do. His understanding made all the difference. I knew if I couldn’t work it out and the meetings had to be canceled, I would never be punished.”
That support freed her to be resilient: “I was able to get on the phone and line up friends to baby-sit,” said Noble. “If I had feared I would lose my job, my stress would have been off the map, I would have been less able to solve the problem–and I probably will not still be at this company.”
———-
Carol Kleiman’s columns also appear in Monday’s and Thursday’s Business sections. Hear her on WBBM-AM Newsradio 780 at 6:21 p.m. and 10:22 p.m. Mondays and 11:20 a.m. Saturdays. Watch her “Career Coach” segments on CLTV. E-mail ckleiman@tribune.com.
