4 Ways to Build Resilience in Your Team at Work

One of the key elements to developing a successful, productive team at work is to build resilience. With so many uncertainties in the world of work and our wider society, the last few years have forced people to adapt and find ways to cope in the face of adversity. As a leader, how do you build resilience in your team?

Incorporate adaptability into your values
One of the most important factors in building resilience is to be adaptable. This means being open-minded, quick-thinking, and letting go of ego battles like the need for being right or better than others. 

By putting adaptability at the heart of your business, you will encourage team members to think for themselves and find solutions to problems by being open to change and doing things differently to ‘how they’ve always been done’.

Clear, regular communication
With the pandemic increasing the number of people working either entirely remotely, or hybrid working with their time split between the office and home, how we communicate and stay connected to each other has been a key issue.

Whether your team members are remote, office based, or a mixture of both, clear and regular communication is essential to build resilience. Have regular catch-ups with your team members and give them the opportunity to to openly discuss what’s going well and any areas for concern or where they might need some additional support.

Encourage healthy work-life boundaries
Measuring productivity by the amount of time spent sitting at a desk is one of the most damaging aspects of modern office culture. All too often, people are branded as being lazy or of less value if they aren’t putting in over-time at work, or simply work their allotted hours and then clock out on time.

Burnout is a major issue for workers and will wear down their ability to cope with challenges and stresses at work. To build resilience, encourage your team members to set healthy work-life bondaries, and lead by example by doing this yourself. Make sure people take their breaks, have holiday time, and can properly switch off when they’re not at work, to protect their mental health and wellbeing.

Create a culture of trust
For any team to thrive, having a strong support system in place when times are tough is vital. To nurture resilience, create a transparent culture where people feel comfortable and empowered to share their ups and downs, without fear of being judged, penalised or belittled for it. 

When people feel appreciated and supported, and not just regarded as a worker but an actual person who is valued, they tend to work harder, be more loyal, and bounce back from stressful situations quicker.

These are just some of the ways you can build resilience in your team at work. Resilience is an important skill to have, not just for the workplace, but to help us face challenges in all areas of our lives. What other actions help to build resilience? We’d love to hear from you – keep the conversation going by connecting with Anita Frost on Twitter @anitafrost and LinkedIn.