By Jonathan H. Westover, PhD
Abstract: This article explores research-based strategies for developing individual and organizational resilience to better manage the high pressures of today's fast-paced work environments. It outlines common workplace stressors like unclear roles, lack of control, and unreasonable deadlines, and how prolonged stress can negatively impact health, engagement, and productivity if not managed properly. At the individual level, the article discusses practical actions like physical self-care, cognitive reframing, social support, and mindfulness meditation for building resilience. For organizations, it recommends clear communication, flexibility, competence development, collaboration, and wellness programs. The article also highlights lessons from healthcare institutions implementing resilience initiatives during COVID-19. Finally, it discusses how industries like technology, consulting, and finance have incorporated resilience strategies. The overarching lesson is that proactively cultivating resilience at all levels through evidence-based strategies can future-proof both workforces and companies amid ongoing pressure and uncertainty.
Working in today's fast-paced organizations can often mean dealing with constant demands and high pressure situations. Whether it is tight project deadlines, budget constraints, merging teams, or long hours, stress has become an inevitable part of many jobs. However, prolonged exposure to pressure without sufficient coping mechanisms can lead to burnout and undermine employee well-being and productivity over time. As leaders, it is important we equip ourselves and our teams with the resilience and stress management skills needed to not just survive but thrive under pressure.
Today we will explore research-backed strategies for developing resilience at both the individual and organizational level to better manage high pressure situations at work.
Understanding Job Stress
Before diving into solutions, it is helpful to understand the sources and impacts of job stress. Research has identified several common workplace stressors, including:
Unclear or conflicting job expectations and roles (Hwang & Ramadoss, 2017)
Lack of control over workload and task priorities (Day et al., 2021)
Unreasonable deadlines and time pressures (Ganster & Rosen, 2013)
Interpersonal conflicts and lack of social support (Bauer et al., 2020)
Prolonged activation of the body's stress response system in reaction to these triggers can negatively impact both physical and mental health if not managed properly. Common stress-related health issues include elevated blood pressure, physical exhaustion, anxiety, depression, and impaired decision-making (APA, 2020). Beyond individual well-being costs, stress also reduces work engagement and productivity (Korunka et al., 2021). It increases absenteeism, turnover intention, and counterproductive work behaviors like mistakes and conflicts (Narayanan et al., 1999).
Developing Individual Resilience
The first line of defense against job stress is building individual resilience—the ability to adapt well in the face of adversity, pressure, or trauma (APA, 2020). Employees and leaders who possess strong resilience are better equipped to withstand stressful demands without burning out. Research points to several practical strategies for developing greater resilience on a personal level:
Physical self-care. Making sleep, nutrition, exercise, and minimizing substance use a priority helps the body recover from stress (Ratey & Manning, 2014).
Cognitive reframing. Challenging negative self-talk and interpreting setbacks as temporary vs. permanent reduces worry and rumination (Reivich & Shatte, 2002).
Emotion regulation. Learning to label and process feelings in a balanced way rather than suppressing them strengthens self-awareness (Gross, 2015).
Social support. Relying on trusted colleagues, friends, or a mentor network to vent frustration and celebrate wins boosts morale (Ganster & Victor, 1988).
Mindfulness meditation. Practicing non-judgmental awareness of present thoughts and sensations through apps like Calm or Headspace reduces stress reactivity (Creswell, 2017).
Limiting multi-tasking. Focusing on one task at a time instead of constant switching improves concentration and productivity (Carrier et al., 2015).
Managers can support staff resilience with empathy, flexibility, and enforcing boundaries around work hours and workload expectations. This nurtures a sense of control which buffers stress (Karasek & Theorell, 1990). Leaders should model healthy self-care behaviors to normalize prioritizing well-being over "busyness."
Developing Organizational Resilience
Leaders also play a key role in developing organizational resilience through policies, structures, and culture. Companies with strong resilience tend to fare better during crises due to ingrained adaptive capabilities (Andersson et al., 2020). Key strategies include:
Clear communication. Conducting regular check-ins to address uncertainty, clarify priorities, and recognize stressors fosters transparency and trust (Day et al., 2021).
Flexibility and autonomy. Giving teams empowerment over workflows and some flexibility in how targets are met enhances feelings of control and protects engagement (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007).
Competence development. Ongoing skills training for evolving demands, like change management or problem-solving, builds both hard and soft skills to effectively manage pressure (Britt et al., 2016).
Collaboration and backup. Cross-training staff and ensuring role overlap and coverage protects against over-reliance on any one person during peak periods (Ganster & Victor, 1988).
Wellness programs. Offering mental health EAPs, onsite gyms or yoga classes, meditations apps for all, and encouraging use signals care for employee well-being (Anger et al., 2015).
Leaders also need processes to monitor stress levels across departments, catch early signs of impaired team functioning, and adjust workloads proactively instead of waiting for crises (Ganster & Rosen, 2013). Leaders should lead with compassion and vulnerability to inspire resilience within their organization's culture.
Practical Implementation in Healthcare
Nowhere have resilience and stress management been more crucial than in frontline healthcare roles during COVID-19. Burnout and turnover pose serious risks to patient safety when staff are overwhelmed (Shanafelt & Noseworthy, 2017). Some proactive healthcare organizations are pioneering new approaches with success:
At Johns Hopkins Hospital, a mindfulness-based 'resilience program' has been launched including workshops, apps, and coaching for physicians and nurses coping with trauma and death. Early evaluations show significant improvements in perceived stress, well-being, and job satisfaction versus control groups (Chesak et al., 2019).
The UCLA Medical Center implemented daily 15-minute unit-based " mindfulness huddles" mid-morning and afternoon for staff to share stresses, joys and decompress as a team through guided meditation or breathing. This fostered much needed social cohesion and empowered smaller units to support each other through challenges (Bazarko et al., 2013).
Kaiser Permanente overhauled work design with longer patient assignments instead of rotating every few hours to reduce information overload. They also expanded flexible schedules, remote options and on-site childcare for parents as part of a system-wide strategy to cut burnout by improving work-life integration and control (Shanafelt et al., 2015).
Lessons for other industries
While healthcare demands are uniquely intense, all organizations can adapt strategies to bolster resilience against high pressure periods:
Technology companies like Google and Microsoft have long offered generous wellness programs including on-site fitness classes, massages, and mindfulness workshops to support employee mental health and creativity under deadline crunches.
Management consulting firms like McKinsey routinely train consultants in change management, stress hardiness, and relationship building to strengthen both personal coping skills and abilities to lead clients through complex transformations.
Investment banks have launched mental health awareness campaigns and embedded more flexibility into rigid workplace cultures to retain top talent in a hyper-competitive industry driven by round-the-clock deadlines and client demands.
Even traditionally fast-paced industries like finance and tech are loosening rigid structures to empower distributed and async work which offers more control over schedules and locations to reduce always-on stressors.
Conclusion
In today's rapidly changing business environment, organizations must proactively cultivate resilience at all levels to thrive amid ongoing pressure and uncertainty. By integrating evidence-based strategies to strengthen individual coping skills while also nurturing adaptive, supportive cultures; leaders can future-proof both their workforce and company against predictable spikes in demands. Prioritizing well-being pays dividends in the form of engaged staff, better decision-making under pressure, and sustained performance over the long-term. With thoughtful implementation and role modeling from the top-down, companies of any industry can develop resilience as a core competency and competitive advantage.
References
Andersson, G., Pettersson, G., & Segerstad, Y. H. (2020). Organizational resilience: bouncing back from disruptions in the digital age. Business Horizons, 63(3), 399-410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2020.01.003
American Psychological Association. (2020). Building your resilience. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The job demands-resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309-328. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115
Bauer, J., Hammig, O., & Idel, M. (2020). Work, work-life balance, and work-life conflict in relation to mental health among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(18), 6658. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17186658
Britt, T. W., Shen, W., Sinclair, R. R., Grossman, M. R., & Klieger, D. M. (2016). How much do we really know about employee resilience?. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 9(2), 378-404. https://doi.org/10.1017/iop.2015.107
Carrier, L. M., Cheever, N. A., Rosen, L. D., Benitez, S., & Chang, J. (2015). Multitasking across generations: Multitasking choices and difficulty ratings in three generations of Americans. Computers in Human Behavior, 25(2), 483-489. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2009.12.017
Chesak, S. S., Bhagra, A., Schroeder, D. R., Foy, D. A., Cutshall, S. M., & Sood, A. (2019). Enhancing resilience in the face of stress: Mindfulness practice for oncology social workers. Oncology Nursing Forum, 45(4), 387-396. https://doi.org/10.1188/17.ONF.387-396
Creswell, J. D. (2017). Mindfulness interventions. Annual Review of Psychology, 68, 491-516. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-042716-051139
Day, A., Scott, N., & Kelloway, E. K. (2021). Organizational stress and well-being. Cambridge university press.
Ganster, D. C., & Rosen, C. C. (2013). Work stress and employee health: A multidisciplinary review. Journal of Management, 39(5), 1085-1122. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206313475815
Ganster, D. C., & Victor, B. (1988). The impact of social support on mental and physical health. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 61(1), 17-36. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8341.1988.tb02761.x
Gross, J. J. (2015). Emotion regulation: Current status and future prospects. Psychological Inquiry, 26(1), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840X.2014.940781
Hwang, J., & Ramadoss, K. (2017). The job demands-control-support model and job satisfaction across genders: The mediating role of work-family conflict. Journal of Family Issues, 38(1), 52-72. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0192513X16644601
Karasek, R., & Theorell, T. (1990). Healthy work: Stress, productivity, and the reconstruction of working life. Basic books.
Korunka, C., Tement, S., Zdrehuščnik, G., & Borova, N. (2021). Job demands, job resources, and work engagement of homecare workers for older people: A cluster analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(7), 3541. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18073541
Narayanan, L., Menon, S., & Spector, P. E. (1999). Stress in the workplace: A comparison of gender and occupations. Journal of Organizational Behavior: The International Journal of Industrial, Occupational and Organizational Psychology and Behavior, 20(1), 63-73. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1379(199901)20:1%3C63::AID-JOB873%3E3.0.CO;2-J
Ratey, J. J., & Manning, R. (2014). Go wild: Free your body and mind from the afflictions of civilization. Hachette UK.
Reivich, K., & Shatte, A. (2002). The resilience factor: 7 keys to finding your inner strength and overcoming life's hurdles. Broadway Books.
Shanafelt, T. D., & Noseworthy, J. H. (2017). Executive leadership and physician well-being: nine organizational strategies to promote engagement and reduce burnout. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 92(1), 129-146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2016.10.004
Shanafelt, T. D., Hasan, O., Dyrbye, L. N., Sinsky, C., Satele, D., Sloan, J., & West, C. P. (2015). Changes in burnout and satisfaction with work-life balance in physicians and the general US working population between 2011 and 2014. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 90(12), 1600-1613. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2015.08.023
Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Chair/Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.
Suggested Citation: Westover, J. H. (2024). Managing Pressure at Work: Developing Resilience in Times of Stress. Human Capital Leadership Review, 11(2). doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.11.2.1
