{"id":8996,"date":"2019-07-30T11:07:35","date_gmt":"2019-07-30T11:07:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oakwoodtrainin.wpengine.com\/?p=8996"},"modified":"2023-12-06T13:46:32","modified_gmt":"2023-12-06T13:46:32","slug":"manage-stress-or-build-resilience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/manage-stress-or-build-resilience\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Manage Stress\u2019 or \u2018Build Resilience\u2019?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A common observation on our courses is that \u2018life\u2019 is a whole lot more stressful than it used to be. And maybe you\u2019ve said it yourself, after all the evidence would seem to back you up\u2026 15.4 Million working days lost due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2017\/18 (HSE, 2017).<\/p>\n

Countless studies have indicated a significant impact of workplace stress on our physical and mental health. Here\u2019s a few to start with: Increases in;\u00a0Cardiovascular Disease, Risk of Diabetes, Job Dissatisfaction, Rates of Absence, Turnover, Likelihood of developing Depression and Anxiety and even Premature death.\u00a0<\/em>Understandably therefore, the majority of research focusses on managing <\/strong>these negative consequences.<\/p>\n

As such the business case for the establishment of wellness and stress management programs in the workplace is well documented. Many companies have come to appreciate that having ill and unproductive employees making products or interacting directly with customers, represents a significant is a business risk.<\/em><\/p>\n

Yet this \u2018Weakness\u2019 based wellbeing model serves only to return employees to their \u2018normal\u2019 level of functioning, develop skills to cope in their current <\/u>situation, and maintain their current<\/u> level or performance.<\/p>\n

Manage stress or build resilience?<\/h4>\n

But should that be the goal? Simply maintaining current<\/u> levels of performance and productivity within an organization is not a viable business strategy, particularly if a company is to continue to perform in times of increasing economic uncertainty.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cWhat got you here, won\u2019t get you there” -Marshall Goldsmith<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

All this focus on \u2018Stress Management<\/em>\u2019 has arguably led to reactive strategies and programs which help employees hang on by their fingernails. Any relief is short lived as the next inevitable challenge roles in.<\/p>\n

For example; physical exercise to manage stress. Now don\u2019t get me wrong, I\u2019m as much a fan of burpees as you are. Exercise may well help deal with the immediate stress but will not change the way an individual perceives an event or situation<\/em>.<\/p>\n

How then does an organization support employee wellbeing to promote increased adaptability and performance?<\/p>\n

Resilience<\/h4>\n

The term itself is derived from the Latin \u2018Resilire\u2019, meaning \u2018To Leap Back\u2019, however a more recent definition for workplace resilience is;<\/p>\n

\u201cThe capacity to mobilise personal features that enable individuals, groups and communities (such as a workforce) to prevent, tolerate, overcome and be enhanced by adverse events and experiences\u201d (Mowbray, 2010).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I\u2019ve ranted about the way \u2018resilience\u2019 is understood before,<\/a> so I\u2019ll spare you that again. The evidence tells us that resilience is up to 3 times more effective than exercise and social support alone. In fact, they;<\/p>\n