RESEARCH
The power of positive resilience
Introduction
03
01
.
02
Tangible indicators of resilience
Money, changing jobs and the cost-of-living crisis
Intangible indicators of resilience
Belonging, change and stress
Positive vs negative resilience
What it means for employers
Almost 90% of respondents have been impacted by the cost-of-living crisis (34% in a significant way).
Two out of five respondents (42%) do not have access to any funds set aside for an emergency and 55% of this group are unable to set up such a fund.
More than one out of five respondents (21%) admit to starting new employment on at least two occasions over the last two years.
The top reason for changing jobs is being unhappy (25% of respondents), followed by inadequate pay (20% of respondents).
60% of respondents think their employer has an ethical responsibility to provide employees with additional financial support during a recession.
VIEW FINDINGS
But for UK employees, what does it mean to be resilient in the context of their job? And how does our understanding of this concept shape our approach to the workplace, especially with a focus on wellbeing and reward? In January 2023, we surveyed 3,000 employees, representing a cross section of full and part-time permanent workers, across all major industries and locations throughout the UK. This report will highlight our key findings, considering the outcomes across three broad categories.
Resilience is a word that has, over the years, entered the common language, and is increasingly bandied about in corporate consultancy circles.
The cost-of-living crisis has had an impact on most people, and our findings support this. The greater impact appears to be on women* over all ages, but there is no correlation between age and the impact itself.
Cost-of-living crisis
How much has the cost-of-living crisis impacted you?
34%
Significantly
55%
Somewhat
9%
Not particularly
2%
Not at all
*We asked respondents to confirm their gender and since less than 1% of our sample indicated “other”, we will only consider men and women in our demographic breakdowns.
Changing jobs
How often during the last two years have you changed employer?
The cost-of-living crisis is only the most recent in a series of challenges employees have had to navigate over the last two years, as the global pandemic also forced many UK employees to reassess their careers. There is an interesting gender difference when listing the top three reasons for changing jobs. Women listed unhappiness in their role as the top reason by some margin, whilst for men this reason did not even feature in their top three.
Top three reasons for changing jobs
Top three reasons from men
Top three reasons from women
Being unhappy in job role
25%
Inadequate pay
20%
Poor line management
19%
Lack of career progression
17%
Change in career
21%
29%
We wanted to discover what support was being made available by employers, both financial and wellbeing focussed, and if it was adequately covering the needs of employees. Almost 50% of employees surveyed said mental health support was available, although only a third of this number had the need to make use of such support. The way mental health support is offered might play a role here, where organisations might offer support, but this is not well or effectively communicated to employees.
Access to support
What mental health support is offered by your employer?
Does your employer have an ethical responsibility to provide additional financial support during a recession?
60% said yes, they strongly or somewhat agree with this statement of ethical responsibility, and we see that the younger generation is in stronger support of this notion than those employees in the older age brackets.
of men strongly and somewhat agree overall
62%
of women strongly and somewhat agree overall
60%
16-24
67%
25-34
35-44
45-54
55+
63%
43%
46%
59%
66%
70%
Putting mental health and emotional wellbeing aside, when we focus on the financial aspect of wellbeing, a practical indicator of resilience would be how readily someone can access emergency funds. As we would expect, these numbers are better for higher earners, although only a little worse than the overall numbers for lower earners:
Access to money
Over the last two years, have you had access to emergency funds set aside for when times are hard or for unforseen financial demands?
High earners
(more than £65,000pa)
(less than £25,000pa)
Low earners
(32% of these say it was insufficient over the last two years)
have an emergency fund
73%
It is telling that almost one out of four people we asked admit they do not have access to emergency funds and that it would be impossible to set this up.
Our data shows that men are not just more likely to have already set up an emergency fund but also to have the ability to do so, across all ages.
This impossibility seems to worsen with age, implying that it is best to put an emergency fund in place at an earlier age as it would become a lot harder as you get older (the case for both genders). This might be because of family commitments, an increase in bills to pay and so on as we get older.
(44% of these say it was insufficient over the last two years)
HOVER TO REVEAL RESULTS
27%
28%
Men: cost-of-living crisis impact
36%
35%
31%
33%
Women: cost-of-living crisis impact
None
57%
Once
22%
Twice
11%
Three times
7%
Four times
Five times
1%
Strongly agree
Somewhat agree
38%
Neither agree or disagree
26%
Somewhat disagree
8%
Strongly disagree
Not sure
4%
18%
Yes, and proved sufficient
Yes, but not had access
Yes, but proved insufficient
No, but possible to set up
23%
No, impossible to set up
Prefer not to say
said signposing to external specialists is the most popular support offered followed by mental health first aiders (34%). Responses indicated 27% of employers offer nothing at all.
Mental health support
Men
Yes and proved sufficient
Yes but not had access
Yes but proved insufficient
No but possible to set up
No and impossible to set up
5%
16%
Women
Return home
Next section
32%
14%
13%
Men: impossible to set up fund
Women: impossible to set up fund
CLICK TO REVEAL RESULTS
VIEW GUIDEBOOK
Based on our findings, we have produced a guidebook for HR leaders looking to improve the resilience of their employees.
I clearly understand my purpose at work (agree/disagree)
Demographically, understanding purpose improves with age across both genders but is higher amongst women than men at all ages.
Purpose
I tend to embrace change without it affecting my focus (agree/disagree)
The ability to embrace change without impacting focus worsens with age and is a lot more dramatic amongst men; the number who strongly agree with this statement is halved from 35% for 16–24-year-olds to 17% for those over 55. For women, this figure remains more consistent across the age brackets (around 20%) but still drops to 15% and 14% for the 35–44-year-old and over 55-year age brackets respectively. Men tend to embrace change better over all ages except for the 45-54 age bracket.
Handling change
Men who agree
15%
Women who agree
When we look at how calm employees stay during times of high stress, we find the figures to be consistent over all ages, but on average higher amongst men than women. It is concerning how low the figures for embracing change and calmness under pressure are, in general, especially compared to the other indicator of resilience, understanding purpose.
Handling stress
I tend to stay calm during times of high stress in the workplace (agree/disagree)
24%
of men tend to stay calm during times of high stress at work
of women tend to stay calm during times of high stress at work
Our research shows that employees across both gender and age groups struggle with change and dealing with stress in the workplace, and that earnings don’t carry a significant impact outside of the highest earners.
Impact of earnings
Which actions from your employer help you feel more like you belong in the workplace?
Belonging
Goals, ambitions, principles and values
The following two questions were used to highlight proxy indicators of resilience. We didn’t want to understand what these goals or values might be, but rather whether people are aware of these, how much clarity of the concepts they exhibit and the importance of it in their lives and careers. 43% have a set list of goals they are working towards and refer to often, whilst 36% can name the values and principles they believe in the most. Split by gender, it appears men are slightly more resilient than women based on these indicators overall but interestingly, we find a strong correlation with age and a significant drop-off over time which is more drastic amongst men. The two genders are similar at older ages but throughout the younger age groups women are consistently less able to name their goals, values, and principles. There is an equally strong correlation between these indicators and earnings where we see a clear increase in resilience amongst those with higher individual earnings. Of those earning £15,000 pa or less, only 31% admit to having a clear set of goals and ambitions in their career, and 27% can name their values and principles. These numbers rise to 71% and 51% respectively for those earning £75,000 pa or more.
Have you got clear goals and/or ambitions in terms of your career?
Can you name the life values and principles you believe in the most?
Good wellbeing support
Interest in employee career development
58%
Personal interest in employees
Inclusive working environment
Engaging communications
Transparency in people decisions
53%
Open recognition
52%
Useful employee benefits
50%
Regular social events
As an aside, three out of four respondents (75%) overall say their employer’s business principles are at least somewhat aligned with their own values and principles.
This might indicate that people naturally gravitate to employers with similar values as their own, but it could also mean that organisations have their fingers on the pulse of what’s important to their employees (and wider society), so an overall positive indicator.
64%
Men: by age group
47%
Women: by age group
Along the same lines of earnings, we find that those working more than one job are also more likely to be able to list their goals, values, and principles. A final interesting observation of these two indicators is that those with a stated disability (8% of our sample group) appear to have higher levels of resilience than the overall group and this is perhaps a function of the natural obstacles those with disabilities need to overcome in the workplace daily. Clarity around our goals and our values therefore seem to wane as we get older, but the positive correlation between this clarity and earnings, in turn, indicate that such a decline can be mitigated if causation is assumed. Another way to look at this is that those who can stay focused on their ambitions and principles are also more likely to achieve success if earnings is the measurement.
45%
37%
Neither agree nor disagree
>75K
44%
55-75K
41%
35-55K
15-35K
49%
<£15K
Understanding pupose
Embracing change
Staying calm under stress
Whilst most employer actions are ranked closely together, we do see wellbeing support and interest in employees’ careers at the top.
Interesting is the comparatively low ranking of employee benefits, with hosting of social events being an outlier (appearing to be the least impactful way for an organisation to contribute to their people’s sense of belonging, even across all age groups). It is worth noting though that there is quite a difference in impact between the genders.
Most impact
of men said inclusive working environment
56%
Least impact
of women said good wellbeing support
61%
of men said transparency in people decisions
of women said regular social events
Yes, I have a set list of goals and refer back to them often
Yes, I have a vague list of goals but rarely consider them
Not really, I only have a few general goals/ ambitions
No, I don't have any goals and/or ambitions
of men have clear goals and/or ambitions in terms of their career
51%
of women have clear goals and/or ambitions in terms of their career
Yes, I can name these on demand
Yes, I can describe them in a roundabout way
No, it would be difficult for me to do this
I don't believe in any life values or principles
of men can name the life values and principles they believe in most
39%
42%
of women can name the life values and principles they believe in most
40%
There is an equally strong correlation between these indicators and earnings where we see a clear increase in resilience amongst those with higher individual earnings. Of those earning £15,000 pa or less, only 31% admit to having a clear set of goals and ambitions in their career, and 27% can name their values and principles. These numbers rise to 71% and 51% respectively for those earning £75,000 pa or more.
Split by gender, it appears men are slightly more resilient than women based on these indicators overall but interestingly, we find a strong correlation with age and a significant drop-off over time which is more drastic amongst men. The two genders are similar at older ages but throughout the younger age groups women are consistently less able to name their goals, values, and principles.
A final interesting observation of these two indicators is that those with a stated disability (8% of our sample group) appear to have higher levels of resilience than the overall group and this is perhaps a function of the natural obstacles those with disabilities need to overcome in the workplace daily. Clarity around our goals and our values therefore seem to wane as we get older, but the positive correlation between this clarity and earnings, in turn, indicate that such a decline can be mitigated if causation is assumed. Another way to look at this is that those who can stay focused on their ambitions and principles are also more likely to achieve success if earnings is the measurement.
When we explore the impact of resilience on people’s decisions, how they cope with difficulties and ultimately the impact on their productivity at work - which is of course balancing the scales for an employer - we find some remarkable differences. We identified a group of individuals that show traits of high levels of resilience, based on their responses to questions we perceive as good indicators. Comparing this with a group that shows the opposite of these traits, from their answers to the same questions, we compared the answers of these two groups across four questions.
During difficult financial and/or personal circumstances, to what extent do your own personal attempts to contribute to a sustainable future sometimes take a back seat?
Positive resilience
To a great extent
To some extent
Maintain sustainable habits
Don't have sustainable habits
We see that difficult financial circumstances in general force people to reconsider and put on hold their own contributions to a sustainable future. Although the impact is greater on the group showing positive resilience, we must consider the fact that more of this group contribute to sustainability in the first place (18% of the negative resilient group don’t have sustainable habits that’ll be impacted whilst, significantly, almost 50% of this group is also not sure about their response). Our resilience therefore not only impacts us and our place of work but also the wider environment.
Ask others for help
No strategies
Engage in problem solving
Forget it and move on
Hope the situation resolves itself
What, if anything, would be your main coping strategy/strategies when you are faced with a setback?
Almost 60% of respondents showing negative resilience admit to not having any coping strategies they rely on when faced with a setback. By contrast, those displaying positive resilience make sure they get enough sleep and exercise, they take responsibility and ask others for help. The importance of resilience in the workplace is clear from these findings and these questions and results might inform what an employee survey to gauge resilience could look like.
Lower expectations
12%
Rely on supportive relationships
Get enough sleep
Get regular exercise
30%
Take responsibility for the situation
10%
Negative resilience
Extensively
Sometimes
Needed but don't have right network
No need do have a network
No need don't have a network
Over the last two years, have you had to rely on your family or social network outside of work for specific mental health support?
The data shows that more than four out of five (81%) individuals with positive resilience have access to family or a social network for mental health support. By contrast, for those with negative resilience almost half of this figure (only 44%) have access to family or a social network. Employers should do what they can to provide a safe environment and adequate mental health support for their people as some might not have access to a sufficient support network outside of work.
0%
1-10%
11-20%
6%
21-30%
31-40%
41-50%
51-60%
61-70%
71-80%
81-90%
On average, what percentage of your working hours are productive?
We can simplify the data above by the following comparison to highlight the effect of employee resilience on productivity in the workplace.
The data implies that a resilient individual would be productive at a rate of almost double that of someone who is not resilient. Again, this provides clear evidence to organisations for the importance of ensuring its Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is geared towards improving the resilience of its people.
91%
have productive working hours of more than 60%
65%
have productive working hours of more than 70%
Key takeways
Our survey gives us a better understanding of what being resilient means at the individual level and how it impacts on people’s actions. It also highlights how it influences people’s relationships, including with their employer and consequently their productivity at work. These findings show the magnitude of negative impact of low levels of resilience on individuals and businesses alike. Organisations would therefore be well served to incorporate a focus on employee resilience to underpin their EVP. By understanding which groups of people require support in specific areas and the time and circumstances under which this might be required, an organisation can improve their people’s sense of belonging and their loyalty.
How can you identify the groups of people in your business that might need specific support?
A great way is through engagement and other employee surveys but also line manager feedback. However, communication is key. Make sure that when you communicate your intentions behind a survey or a specific campaign or intervention that you reach all the different cohorts of employees across your business in the most effective way. Messaging is generally digested and understood in different ways by people from different generations, backgrounds, and locations.
Riaan van Wyk
Senior Wellbeing Consultant
riaan.vanwyk@barnett-waddingham.co.uk
Our experts
Julia Turney
Partner, Platform and Benefits
julia.turney@barnett-waddingham.co.uk
