Tips & Advice
However, when stress becomes chronic or overwhelming, it can negatively impact our wellbeing and health which in turn, can also have negative impacts on our performance at work and workplace culture. That’s why managing stress and building resilience go hand in hand when it comes to creating healthier, more productive workplaces.
At Robertson Cooper, we help organisations understand what’s driving stress in their organisation, how they can handle these drivers and support their people to build the skills they need to manage stress and build resilience.
The Health and Safety Executive defines work-related stress as “the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them at work”. When the amount of pressure we are under exceeds our ability to cope, the stress response kicks in. We can liken pressure to the amount of physical weight we can lift; everyone has a limit and this is unique to the individual, but when we near that limit we start to struggle and lose technique, and if we exceed it this increases risk of injury or causes us to drop everything. In the same way we can get physically stronger and lift more over time with regular lifting, our ability to cope with pressure can also be developed.
While a small amount of stress can help people stay alert and motivated, excessive or prolonged stress can affect mental and physical health, leading to burnout, absenteeism and disengagement. Finding the balance between boredom and burnout is key to a good day at work, with most people performing at their best when they are just stretched beyond the top end of their comfort zone.
Based on the ASSET (A Shortened Stress Evaluation Tool) model developed from Cooper and Marshall’s work stress model, 1976, Robertson Cooper measure these six sources of stress in our Good Day At Work Assessment.
You can also find out more about pressure and performance here.
Resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity, adapt to change, and keep going in the face of challenge. Rather than avoiding stress altogether, resilience is about developing the mindset, behaviours and coping strategies that allow us to manage it effectively.
At an organisational level, building resilience means creating the conditions where people can perform sustainably, even in high-pressure environments.
Here are some evidence-based strategies to help individuals and organisations take control of stress:
Encourage open conversations around mental health and ensure that wellbeing support is accessible and inclusive. A psychologically safe culture helps people seek help when they need it – before stress becomes a problem.
Tools like our iResilience model focus on four key elements: Confidence, Purposefulness, Adaptability and Support. By building these traits, individuals can develop a stronger foundation for managing workplace demands.
Managers are uniquely placed to identify early warning signs of stress. Equipping them with the right training and tools enables timely, supportive interventions and promotes a culture of care.
Good job design reduces unnecessary stress. That includes clarity around roles and responsibilities, realistic deadlines, fair workloads, and opportunities for development and control.
In today’s fast-paced world of work, the ability to handle stress and recover from setbacks is a business-critical skill. Resilience enables people to stay focused, perform under pressure, and contribute positively to the wider culture.
If you want to understand how resilient your organisation really is, or start building it into the foundations of your workplace, we can help.
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