Employee burnout is one of the biggest issues facing the current workforce. A Deloitte survey of over 1,000 respondents revealed that 77% reported having experienced burnout at work. And 70% felt that their employers were not providing sufficient support to help prevent this burnout. 

Consequently, resilience has become a common topic these days. And, it’s important to understand what resilience really means. It’s not just about keeping our heads down, setting aside emotions, and charging forward. In fact, doing this can lead to burnout. 

True resilience arises when people are authentically able to cultivate perspectives and skills that allow them to stay engaged long-term while also maintaining their own wellbeing. Some perspectives and skills that help build true resilience, for example, are: self-worth, growth mindset, sense of purpose, self-awareness, and access to support. 

How Workplace Culture Can Reinforce Resilience

Individuals can do a lot to develop their own resilience, and to strengthen the mindsets that promote it. At the same time, many best practice organizations also actively create inclusive cultures to support resilience-building. 

Studies show that inclusion is one of the key factors in high-performing teams. Here’s how an inclusive workplace culture can help foster the cornerstones of true resilience:

Diversity & Belonging

Inclusion means that all employees feel accepted and valued at work, and that diversity of cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual, and gender identities, as well as life experiences, is appreciated for what it brings to the team. A culture of belonging helps fortify resilience by supporting healthy self-worth and sense of purpose.

Here are some tips for creating a culture of belonging:

• Curiosity Conversations Start open-ended conversations with team members to learn more about their diverse experiences, including personal passions and skills that might fall outside of current job roles.

• Difficult Conversations If you have a team culture that is already inclusive and has a feeling of trust, sometimes it’s helpful to discuss challenging issues by initiating mutual dialogues with colleagues. One important caveat is to be sure there is a trusted facilitator when you do this, and also that your work culture supports this kind of communication.

• Listening Circles or Anonymous Surveys Whether digital and anonymous or face-to-face and confidential, some companies set up specific opportunities for employees to share thoughts and feelings in a safe, accepting environment . In the right environment this can help to foster inclusion and assess team sentiment. These Listening Circles must also be carefully led by people who are experienced in facilitating group processes.

Solution Culture

When leaders are solution-oriented instead of blame-seeking, employees are likely to follow suit. Research shows that the brain is programmed to hold onto negative feedback more than positive, so it’s imperative to foster a team focus on creative solutions. This supports growth mindset and the ability to ask for help. Here are some tips for creating a solution culture at work:

• Find a way forward Instead of spending energy looking backwards to find fault, focus on how to move forward, and if you’re a team leader, show your team that creative solutions are always possible.

• Encourage collaboration Especially in cultures where independence is highly valued, it’s important to create a sense of team unity. Encourage team members to support each other, and to offer help.

• Team leaders model accountability Accountability for everyone is important. Team leaders can demonstrate what it looks like to take accountability for a mistake while also shifting the focus from blame to collaboration and resolution.

Accessible Support 

To really foster employee resilience, business leaders can ensure adequate resources for things like stress management and interpersonal communication. Harvard research shows a 6-to-1 ROI for employee wellbeing programs. Here are some options for employee support initiatives:

• Personal Development Workshops There are many workshop offerings for teams that can be brought in-house to help employees build skills and perspectives that create resilience, such as inclusion, collaboration, and stress reduction. 

• Mentorship or Peer Support Network Intra-team support is another option for increasing employees’ capacity to ask for and receive help. Peer support network training can teach people how to best support each other.

Diversity and belonging, a solution-based culture, and substantial access to support are key elements of an inclusive and resilience-promoting workplace. Inclusive work culture is one of the strongest foundations for reducing burnout and authentically increasing the capacity to navigate daily challenges. These are just some of the steps that organizations and individuals can take towards cultivating true resilience.

Want to learn more about creating an inclusive workplace? Request a demo here.