A new study from organizational consulting firm Keystone Partners has highlighted strategic investment in employee development as one of the steps to achieving organizational resilience.
‘Creating resilient workforces: A leader’s guide to strategic investment’, based on survey data from employees and business leaders across generations and industries, defines resilience as ‘the capacity to absorb change and continue doing your best work’. It states that:
Resilient employees stay engaged and committed in spite of the ups and downs of organizations and the market. They are driven to do the work and willing to go the extra mile. They have longer tenures and lower turnover, enabling organizations to retain institutional knowledge and develop effective team dynamics that deliver consistent results and maintain continuity for customers. Empowered by these employees, resilient organizations are prepared to roll with uncertainty and positioned to see and seize opportunities.
As a leader, your objective should be to achieve organizational resilience. Strategic investment in developing your employees is the key to grabbing this brass ring.
Creating resilient workforces: A leader’s guide to strategic investment
The report identifies ‘keystone moments’ as crucial junctures for strategic employee investment. Investing in employees at these pivotal moments – such as transitional moments where an employee advances in the organization – significantly enhances the employer-employee relationship, leading to a more engaged, loyal, and healthier workforce. The study found that 87% of employees who received both career development and career transition services from their employer felt their relationships with their employers were reciprocal.
The study identified a measurable difference between the perceived resilience of employees who received professional development or career transition services and those who did not. Interestingly there were also generational differences in the perceived resilience of employees, with Millennials and Gen X employees perceiving themselves as the most resilient, while Gen Z employees perceive themselves as the least resilient.
