In 2023, organisations face a unique set of challenges, including supply chain shortages, soaring energy prices, inflation, digital transformation, remote work, sustainability concerns, and cybersecurity threats. Successfully navigating these external factors while pursuing organic growth and acquisitions requires equipping employees with the ability to cope and thrive in a constantly evolving environment.
Organisations should prioritise the development of supportive, resilient, and innovative workplace cultures. Employees must be capable of adapting to change, maintaining a positive outlook, and surmounting challenges to achieve shared objectives.
“Resilience and adaptability are the workplace superpowers”, says Taryn Wilkinson, director of Walmsley Wilkinson Executive and Management Recruitment. “The clients that we support can range from growth focused, small to medium sized enterprises, through to global corporations, but there is always a common theme when it comes to identifying the right attitudes in their people. Organisations are operating in competitive, demanding and developing marketplaces and they therefore want to hire future employees that can perform their roles, whilst remaining well and excelling in changing environments. Most person specifications that we encounter in the recruitment process include resilience and adaptability amongst the essential criteria. Candidates that can demonstrate strengths in these areas are therefore more in demand.”
A report by Aon, titled “The Rising Resilient,” revealed that employees are nearly twice as likely to be motivated and, therefore, productive if they possess resilience. It is no wonder that employers highly value this quality. However, the same research also highlighted that only 30% of employees are currently considered resilient. This underscores the risks and challenges organisations face when striving for change and growth, particularly when the majority of their employees may struggle to cope with such demands.
In the “2021 Employee Resilience: An Evidence Review Summary Report,” commissioned by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, resilience is described as a key factor in helping employees safeguard and replenish their personal resources at work. This, in turn, shields them from issues like psychological distress, emotional exhaustion, and burnout.
Taryn Wilkinson adds, “Whilst people managers and defined learning and development strategies play a crucial role in helping employees to be resilient in the workplace, it is totally understandable why organisations want to identify future employees who can demonstrate that they already possess ‘resilience superpowers.’ These individuals will be able to cope, adapt and thrive in changing work circumstances.”
The world of work continues to experience upheavals, and to achieve success in challenging times, the UK requires resilient and adaptable employees.
Walmsley Wilkinson, co-owned by partners Linda Walmsley and Taryn Wilkinson, provides professional solutions for executive and management recruitment needs. They assist various organisations, including large corporations, family-owned enterprises, private equity firms, and the third sector in identifying and securing top leadership talent across the UK and internationally.
For more information, visit https://www.walmsleywilkinson.com.
