Dive Brief:
- Goldman Sachs has identified resiliency as a critical trait for its workforce, to the point of implementing training programs to foster and develop it across the enterprise, according to a recent article at Business Insider.
- In 2009, during the throes of the financial crisis, Goldman Sachs made that key change to its employee wellness strategy by moving to resilience, rather than focusing exclusively on traditional stress management techniques.
- Resiliency programming at the firm is delivered via a combination of keynote speakers on topics such as happiness, and one-on-one coaches who are always available to help workers cope with issues including goal-setting, overcoming obstacles and understanding personal priorities, according to the article.
Dive Insight:
Laura Putnam, the author of "Workplace Wellness That Works," told Business Insider that the word "resilience" doesn't have the same stigma as the term "stress management." The goal of resiliency, however, is figuring out how to remain in competitive environment and perform at your best.
Laura Young, vice president of benefits and wellness at Goldman Sachs, told Business Insider that the firm defines resilience as the "state of health, energy, readiness, flexibility, and the capacity to adapt to change with confidence," adding that the goal is to help people perform optimally in both their professional and personal lives.
Apart from Goldman Sachs, CHROs across the business landscape managing high-stress environments may soon jump on the resiliency bandwagon, as Putnam said the shift toward resiliency at Goldman Sachs reflects an overall trend in corporate wellness. So far, no metrics around the trend's ROI, but employees at Goldman Sachs reported that they believed it was helping them stay sharp with a boost in "happiness."
