Building a Resilient Workforce

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.