Every business has ups and downs, and the only way to take advantage of the “ups” is to be able to bounce back from the “downs.”

Corporate wellness programs go a long way to building resiliency in your workforce. The easy piece of that is that healthy employees come to work with more energy to take on challenges. A good wellness program, though, does more than just cutting down on colds and the flu; it encourages employees to set tougher and tougher challenges for themselves, whether it’s measuring themselves against others or against their own personal goals. By showing people what they are capable of — whether it’s reducing their resting heart rate or walking 10,000 steps a day or completing a triathlon — they gain more self-confidence that allows them to take on business challenges with a better attitude.

Virgin Pulse offers an interesting webinar discussing the need for a workforce that can bounce back and the business value of employee wellness programs. Many people look at wellness programs simply as a way to reduce absenteeism and cut health-related costs, but they can significantly improve the engagement and performance of your employees.

Of course, if you really want people who can bounce back from a setback to take on a new challenge, simply hire a workforce composed of marathoners. And I’m not just saying that because I ran the Virgin Money London Marathon yesterday.