Your how-to: Offering workplace resilience-building workshops
Offering workplace resilience-building workshops within your organisation involves implementing structured training programmes intended to boost the mental wellbeing and resilience of your employees. Resilience is the capacity to bounce back from stress and adversity, to keep functioning physically and mentally under challenging circumstances, and to cope successfully with ongoing change and uncertainty.
The focus of these workshops is to help employees handle and react to tough situations in a more effective way, equipping them with the necessary skills to manage stress, maintain a positive outlook, and adapt to change or adversity. This could include modules on stress management, mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and problem-solving.
In an Australian context, these workshops align with the 'Healthy Minds' principle of the National Workplace Mental Health Standards, which emphasises the promotion of personal resilience. The workshops should be inclusive, voluntary, and conducted in a comfortable, non-judgmental environment to ensure maximum impact.
It's worth noting that while resilience-building workshops can be a valuable tool for improving mental wellbeing in the workplace, they are not a substitute for a broader, comprehensive approach to mental health which addresses organisational factors and encourages work-life balance. As such, these workshops should be part of a wider mental health strategy within your organisation.
Step by step instructions
Assess the Need and Set Goals: Before launching a resilience-building workshop, it's important to identify the necessity for it within your organisation. Conduct surveys or have discussions with staff to understand specific issues like stress levels, absenteeism, or low morale. Also, establish clear objectives that these workshops aim to achieve, like improved productivity, decreased stress levels, or better inter-staff relations.
Identify the Trainer: Look for a certified professional trainer who specialises in resilience-building. They should have experience in both the corporate sector and mental health fields, to ensure a healthy mix of relatable examples and professional advice.
Promote: Inform employees about the upcoming workshops. Highlight the benefits and the importance of mental wellbeing and resilience at work. Make it clear that participation is voluntary and that the workshops will be conducted in a non-judgemental space.
Review and Improve: After the completion of a series of workshops, assess the outcomes and feedback. Reflect on whether you have met your earlier set objectives. Use this to make improvements or changes to the future workshops to maximise impact.
Develop a Plan: Carefully plan out the structure of your workshops, think about how many sessions will be required and how long each should last. Identify key topics to cover such as stress management, mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and problem-solving.
Organise the Logistics: Decide on a suitable location within your organisation where the workshop will be held. Make sure it's comfortable, quiet, and free from distractions. Determine the date and time of the workshops, making sure these do not interfere majorly with the work schedules of your employees.
Implement and Monitor: Begin delivering the workshops as planned. Record attendance and actively seek feedback from participants to understand their experiences and take note of any improvements suggested.
Reflect and Breathe: This step can be challenging, so it's important to take a moment to breathe and reflect. Pause to consider the progress made, the obstacles encountered, and the lessons learned. This reflection will not only help in gaining clarity but also in maintaining a balanced perspective, allowing for thoughtful and deliberate decision-making moving forward.
Use this template to implement
To ensure you can execute seamlessly, download the implementation template.
Pitfalls to avoid
Without the full support and participation of upper management, your resilience programme may not get the resources it needs. Leaders help set the tone for the organisation, so their support is crucial.
An efficient resilience-building workshop requires well-defined objectives. If these aren't in place, it becomes difficult to measure success and the workshops can end up unfocused and ineffective.
Resilience-building is not a one-off process. It's important to establish channels of ongoing support, such as counselling services or further training opportunities.
When budgeting for your workshops, be sure to allocate enough resources. This includes time, money, and staff. Cutting corners here can lead to ineffective workshops and frustrated employees.
Ensure that your workshop content is suitable and beneficial for your diverse workforce. This can involve contextualising exercises for the Australian working environment, including understanding local mental health legislations.
Don’t ignore the feedback from employees. Their insights are invaluable in tailoring the workshops and improving their impact.