How do you build a resilient workforce?

Workforce resilience is created where the environment at work supports employees to adapt to adverse situations, manage stress and retain motivation. Employers can improve workforce resilience with strategic investment in health and wellbeing initiatives, clear, compassionate and visible leadership, and empathetic dialogue between employer and employees.

Why it's important to act

Where can I start?

1. Understand your current resilience

You can get started by trying our short resilience assessment tool. Answer 5 sets of questions about your organisation and we can provide you with an immediate indication as to whether your workforce is likely to be resilient.

Aon Resilience Self Assessment Tool
  • See how you fare against our resilience gauge
  • Understand your key areas for improvement, and how to make change happen
  • Discover how well-rounded your health and wellbeing approach is
Take the Resilience Self Assessment
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Aon Resilience Self Assessment Tool

2. Listen to your employees

Key to building a resilient workforce is understanding how your employees truly feel and what challenges they may be facing so you know what needs to be put in place to help build their resilience.

There are a number of traditional employee research tools available, such as questionnaires, pulse surveys and focus groups.

But sometimes more innovative tools are required to scratch beneath the surface and understand how employees truly feel. Neuroscience listening technology is an emerging method which can help employers bypass unconscious bias — enabling employers to understand the true feelings of their people.

In traditional surveys 60% of factors are 
explicitly overstated6

Learn more about neuroscience technology
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In traditional surveys
60% of factors are 
explicitly overstated6

There are many factors which can help contribute to building a resilient workforce. Below we have picked three prominent topics which we know impact resilience.

Read on to learn more in our employer guides and find support with practical actions you can tick off on our checklists and supportive tools.

Mental Health

Mental and emotional health is a key aspect of overall wellbeing and good mental health supports resilience.

Mental health was already a growing concern in the UK prior to 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic has fuelled even greater mental health challenges.

The impact of the pandemic has resulted in mental health provision drastically reducing at a time when the need for mental health support has greatly increased, with many experts concerned this could lead to a mental health crisis.

But there are many ways employers can proactively support — our guide Mental Health Crisis — Supporting Employees Through Turbulent Times provides details on the issues and how employers can provide holistic support to those who need it.

Mental Health Crisis — Supporting Employees Through Turbulent Times
Download Guide
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Calculate the Mental Health cost
for your workforce
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Listen to our Mental Health Podcast
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Aging Population and Eldercare

The aging population and greater longevity means an increasing number of working adults are caring for aging family and friends.

Caring for elderly relatives can contribute to mental health strain and absenteeism and presenteeism at work. Plus the COVID-19 pandemic has brought additional pressures and strain, making eldercare an issue organisations need to consider to foster a resilient workforce.

Read more about the challenges in our employer guide The Aging Population — Why it’s time to take notice which takes a look at the Aging Population issues impacting employers and employees and provides a checklist of actions to consider to build resilience in this area.

The Aging Population — Why it’s time to take notice
Listen to our Aging Population Podcast
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Financial Resilience

Financial worries are one of the leading causes of stress.8

Helping employees build their financial resilience by better understanding and managing their finances can build stronger resilience, as well as help to:

  • Reduce absenteeism and presenteeism
  • Increase productivity
  • Reduce finance-related mental health problems
Find out more
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Calculate the Financial Health cost
for your workforce
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Real life examples of resilient organisations

See first hand some real life examples, read the stories of organisations who are growing their workforce resilience, and discover the data demonstrating how workforce resilience is driving a new generation of workplaces in our Rising Resilient report.

The Rising Resilient
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Looking to the future

Companies must also be prepared to withstand future disruptions and stresses, such as unprecedented technology disruption and calls for greater diversity and inclusion. Find out more in our report Accelerate your workforce into the future.

Accelerate Your Workforce into the Future
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