In business, tricky situations are inevitable. The question is not whether these challenges will happen, but how you handle them when they do.
Workforce resilience refers to the ability of both individual workers and the organisation at large to deal with these trials and tribulations, adapt to changing situations, recover from setbacks, and continue to function effectively no matter what obstacles are presented.
Workforce resilience is a muscle that forward-thinking businesses actively look to strengthen. In this guide we'll take a close look at fostering a resilient team: from the compelling reasons why, to the strategies you can use to do it.
Why resilience matters for retention
A resilient workforce is stable, adaptable and ready for anything - all of which are defining characteristics of loyal, high-retention teams too.
Proof of this correlation can be seen in the numbers. According to Aon, 93% of resilient employees want to stay with their employer for the foreseeable future, versus 51% of non-resilient employees.
In a relatively intimate market like New Zealand, where top talent can be difficult to replace, the value of instilling resilience within your organisation is huge. On top of encouraging your best workers to stick around, you also equip your team with the skills and attitude they need to power your business to a brighter future.
Your clients will be more satisfied. Your organisation will be more productive. Your reputation as an employer will be enhanced. You'll create an exciting environment for top talent: a place of growth, opportunity and a clear and achievable future.
In short, the more resilient your team becomes, the less likely team members are to leave.
Understanding workforce resilience
'Resilience' can be an ambiguous word. While we all know what it is, it can nevertheless be difficult to define. So let's do just that in a business context, to gain total clarity on exactly what your organisation should be aiming to instil in your team.
What is workforce resilience?
Workforce resilience refers to the ability to demonstrate psychological flexibility, emotional regulation and adaptability, in order to navigate complex and challenging situations. Also called 'workplace resilience', it can be demonstrated by individuals, teams or entire workforces.
While certain individuals will naturally be more resilient than others, workforce resilience can be developed. Doing so can ensure business continuity through all manner of organisational disruptions. It can enhance the well-being of employees, increase productivity, and create the sort of work environment that will help you to attract and retain the best workers.
Components of a resilient workforce
What exactly does a resilient workforce look like? A few key traits include:
Adaptability: Able to adjust to change, uncertainty or setbacks without losing focus or momentum.
Emotional regulation: Employees can manage stress, frustration and conflict calmly and constructively.
Optimism: The ability to focus on the positives of a situation, and possible solutions and opportunities, rather than the problems.
Support: Teams trust one another, collaborate well, lean on each other when needed, share burdens and communicate transparently.
Persistence: Workers stay engaged and motivated, even when facing significant challenges.
Self-awareness: Individuals recognise their triggers and proactively navigate them.
Problem-solving mindset: Your people focus on practical action rather than blame when difficulties arise.
To gain an even clearer picture of workplace resilience, let's take a look at an example:
Let's say a system outage means that a customer service team at a bank is suddenly tasked with handling double the normal call volume.
Instead of becoming overwhelmed, the team divides tasks, calmly communicates updates to customers, supports each other during breaks, and looks for ways to streamline responses.
Despite the high pressure situation, they maintain their morale, optimise their performance however they can, and show serious resilience.
The current state of workforce resilience in New Zealand
How resilient are NZ workers? The answer depends on who you ask, but on average there's certainly room for improvement.
The numbers tell the tale.
Mental health & stress stats
One in five workers in New Zealand say they are often or always stressed by work.
40% of workers in New Zealand have high mental health risk.
Those diagnosed with anxiety lose more than 68 working days of productivity per year.
31% of workers say their mental health is negatively impacting their productivity.
Absenteeism is at a record high, costing businesses over $1200/year per employee.
NZ retention risks
Rising turnover is a core concern for Kiwi employers across all sectors in 2025.
Over half of New Zealand workers (57%) are at high risk of burnout.
One in three New Zealand workers is currently considering quitting their job.
46% of disengaged workers are considering switching jobs this year, versus 17% for engaged employees.
Building resilience: HR strategies that work
While the numbers above don't paint a fantastic picture of NZ workforce resilience, smart employers realise that this represents an incredible opportunity. By better supporting workers, you can keep far more of your best.
72% of NZ employees say that workplace wellbeing initiatives significantly influence their decision to stay with their employer. The upshot is clear: by helping your workers build resilience, you not only ensure that they are equipped to handle new challenges - you also ensure that they stick around.
But what do effective resilience-building strategies look like? Examples include:
Promoting open communication: Encourage honest dialogue and an atmosphere where employees feel heard and supported. Create a supportive feedback culture with regular group and individual check-ins to keep your finger on the pulse.
Model resilience: Managers and leaders should demonstrate the behaviours they seek to encourage, such as calmness, adaptability and optimism during challenges.
Encourage adaptability: Rotate roles or projects to give your staff a well rounded skill set, and help them to learn new skills and embrace change.
Providing training and development: Offer internal or external training to equip staff with skills like problem-solving, adaptability and stress management.
Encourage work-life balance: Where possible, offer flexible hours and remote working options that allow workers to more easily navigate their personal lives.
Offer support and assistance: Tailor wellness initiatives to the needs of your team, e.g. mental health support, team building days, complementary gym memberships for your workers.
Recognise and reward achievements: A long-term study of 3500 NZ workers found that well-recognised employees are 45% less likely to have turned over after two years. Demonstrate regular appreciation to boost morale and reinforce a positive outlook.
This last point is something that we help with at 1Team. Our Perks packages can be used to recognise the resilience and efforts of your workers, providing a reward that can further encourage resilience, and that are proven to enhance your ability to retain top talent.
Measuring resilience and success
Because resilience is a somewhat intangible quality, it can be a difficult thing to measure within your team. But there are a number of resilience indicators that can give you an idea of the spirit within your team, and that can be used to guide your path to success:
Pulse surveys: Employee surveys are a great way to get a qualitative sense of how your team is tracking. Ask questions relating to mental health, workload, challenges and team dynamics. Send the same survey out at regular intervals and track changes and trends over time. Consider making the survey anonymous to encourage truly honest answers.
Performance metrics: The efficiency, consistency and productivity of your team can offer an indication of how resilient it is, so pairing performance data with survey insights can give you the resilience diagnostics you need to gain a better understanding of your situation and the path forward.
Retention insights: Do you struggle to retain workers, particularly top talent? This can be the number one indicator of a brittle unresilient workforce, so track your retention data over time, and work to get it trending in the right direction.
The case for New Zealand HR Leaders
Your people are your most important asset. And they become even more valuable when they demonstrate resilience, as they become more adaptable, productive and likely to stay.
Enhancing the resilience of your workforce should be treated as a non-negotiable. It's best for individual workers, teams, and the organisation at large.
"Kiwi employees are navigating a workplace filled with rapid change, mounting pressures, and unpredictable challenges. With stress, burnout and job insecurity on the rise, emotional resilience isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity." - Robert Half.
So strengthen that resilience muscle. And with the help of 1Team, you can recognise, reward and retain your best workers too.
