Resilience

Published On: November 21, 2025By Caroline Holmyard & Alex KeelingTags: adaptability, coping, noworriesapp, organisations, resilience, workers, workplace

Today we are going to shine a light on resilience. This is arguably one of the most important attributes that a worker can own and display.

If you have it, then handling present day workplace trials and tribulations is much easier. Without it, or without enough of it, then things can get pretty tough.

Let's define resilience and unpack it a bit more.

What is it?

Volume XIII of the Oxford English Dictionary talks of "the act of rebounding or springing back" and it offers a second definition too. This second definition is more helpful and talks of "elasticity and the power of assuming the original form".

These are helpful but are not quite what we mean when we are talking about resilience in the workplace. Workplace terms clearly move quicker than the Oxford English Dictionary!

In the work place we are talking about the ability to adapt, cope, and recover from stress, adversity, trauma, and setbacks while maintaining psychological well-being and functioning effectively. It involves developing specific behaviours, thoughts, and skills to "bounce back" from challenges, such as job loss, illness, or personal losses, and can be strengthened over time through deliberate practices and a positive mindset.

So, there is some linkage with the Oxford definition but in the context of the workplace you do not always want to go back to the original form. You want to emerge strongly and stronger than before. If we consider losing one's job or status, we will want to demonstrate our personal resilience by getting not just a new job, but a better job or a better version of you.

OK. So now we know what it is let's look at the key types of resilience and the attributes of each type. And if you believe that you are not resilient enough then we have some help to offer you.

You can imagine that this subject area has been heavily researched by academics and Wellbeing practitioners.

Resilience can be broken down into four main areas

Physical

This is easy to explain. How physically healthy are you? How quickly do you bounce back from an injury? How far can you run, swim, or walk?

Emotional

Hmmm. This is where it starts to get a bit more complicated. This is the ability to manage your emotions, your ability to remain calm during stressful situations and maintain mental Wellbeing. Why more complicated? Because our emotions are not stable. One can be calm one day and really on the edge the next day. External factors and hormonal influences all play a part in how we are from day to day.

Mental or Cognitive Resilience

The ability to maintain focus, think clearly, and make sound decisions when under pressure or facing uncertainty. Also massively influenced by external factors.

Social Resilience

In the age of social media, the strength of your relationships and social networks, which provide crucial support and resources during times of need, are being assaulted and manipulated 24/7. Managing your own pathway through all this is far from easy.

Readers will recognise these categories of resilience and will have experienced each of the categories themselves. If you believe that you are less resilient than you would like it is helpful to understand these categories.

We all want to be resilient and be capable of dealing with everything that life throws at us but let's drill into the detail of exactly why resilience is important. Let's deal with the most important people first. You.

Resilience helps you cope with work and home stress when the kids are driving you nuts, and it reduces anxiety. It's a crucial attribute because it acts as a brake that prevents burnout. It gives you a breathing space and time to take stock of a situation.

And you can enjoy work more. As you navigate challenge you will by default embrace new opportunities. The resilient worker is more confident and more optimistic and will embrace measured risk with some relish. The sense of professional and personal purpose meaning will be more apparent in the resilient being. We're not talking about being smug or arrogant, this is about dealing with the day-to-day stuff of life and getting through it all undamaged. There are limits to this and there will be some situations that really deliver a hard knock…but even these will be overcome, and the person will go back to their previous form.

Aha! Maybe the Oxford English Dictionary wasn't quite off target after all.

Resilience is important as an attribute because it delivers the ability to be adaptable and manage change. In the age of AI, this is just so important. Change is now an everyday thing.

Another vital benefit of resilience is that the resilient beings are superior problem solvers who are better equipped to tackle problems and setbacks, viewing them as chances to develop new skills and find solutions rather than as insurmountable obstacles.

Being resilient is a very good idea.

What about on a company wide basis?

Well, it impacts the bottom line. And quite significantly too. Here's why.

Productivity is the first beneficiary. A resilient workforce, working in a resilience-based office or factory culture, will be more focused and will exert energy where it is needed most. Do the job that needs to be done quickly and with care. There is a direct relationship between resilience and quality. Quality drives margins and revenues and secures repeat business. We are in the realms of sustainable competitive advantage and superior revenues.

Further, the cost base shrinks because of reduced staff turnover, lower health related cost, lower recruitment (and therefore training) costs. The right talent sticks around too, so there is long term stability.

Damn, this resilience stuff is good juice! However, building resilience is easier said than done.

This is where the NoWorriesApp comes in.

It's a quick, easy and effective way to nudge you to find your own self-solutions to build your own resilience. The NoWorriesApp works by focusing your attention on the small changes you feel able to make, when you are ready to make them to power yourself privately and anonymously towards being more resilient.