I had a really interesting conversation recently about resilience, stress and responsibility. More specifically, we were talking about the role of the employer and the role of the employee when it comes to sustaining resilience at work. It raised a useful question:
Whose responsibility is workplace resilience?
Is it the employer’s responsibility to create the right conditions for people to perform well? Or is it the individual’s responsibility to build the resilience they need to meet the demands of their role?
The answer, of course, is both.
The role of the employer
Perhaps one way to think about it is this:
The role of the employer is to make sure the stress someone is under is commensurate with their role, responsibility and level of seniority. In other words, the pressure needs to be proportionate.
There will always be stress at work. In many roles, especially senior or high-responsibility roles, a certain level of pressure is part of the job. Deadlines, decision-making, complexity, change, conflict, targets and uncertainty can all create demand.
But there is a difference between appropriate challenge and unreasonable stress, between a demanding role and an unsustainable workload. Or between pressure that stretches someone and pressure that steadily erodes their health, energy and ability to perform.
That is where employers, leaders and organisations have a responsibility in supporting workplace resilience. They need to pay attention to workload, expectations, resourcing, communication, culture and recovery. They need to ask whether the demands being placed on people are reasonable, proportionate and sustainable.
Because no amount of individual resilience can compensate for prolonged, unreasonable stress.
The role of the individual
At the same time, individuals also have a responsibility. The role of the employee is to build and maintain the resilience needed to meet the demands of their role.
That might include looking after energy, recovery, boundaries, sleep, movement, nutrition, connection and mindset. It might include developing self-awareness, asking for support, noticing early warning signs and taking action before pressure becomes overwhelming. Taking agency over the things they can control.
This doesn’t mean the individual is responsible for “coping” with anything and everything thrown at them. It means they have a part to play in understanding what supports their resilience, what drains it, and what needs to change when they notice the balance shifting. A phrase I love is “Is life happening to me, or am I happening to life?”
Because resilience is not static. It ebbs and flows.
There will be moments when someone feels strong, capable and able to meet the demands of their role. There will also be moments when life, work, health, pressure or uncertainty make that much harder.
Why resilience is a 360-degree responsibility
I have talked for years about resilience, and I believe it is a 360-degree responsibility. It does not sit entirely with the organisation. And it does not sit entirely with the individual. It is shared.
An individual can be as resilient as possible, but if they are placed under undue stress for an unreasonable length of time, that is not something they should be expected to withstand.
Equally, an employer can create a supportive environment, but individuals still need to engage with their own wellbeing, recovery and resilience.
That is why communication is so important.
A healthy workplace culture needs honest conversations about demand, capacity, energy and support. It needs leaders with emotional intelligence. It needs people to feel able to take action and speak up before they reach a crisis point. It needs managers who can recognise when pressure is becoming disproportionate. And a top-down culture that prioritises and role models good wellbeing behaviours.
It needs a shared understanding that workplace resilience is not about pushing through indefinitely. It is about creating the conditions where people can adapt, recover and continue to perform well over time.
The resilience seesaw
Think of this as a seesaw, the ‘resilience seesaw’ if you will. On one side, there is the employer’s responsibility to manage demand, expectations, workload and culture. On the other side, there is the individual’s responsibility to build and protect their own resilience.
When both sides are working well, there is balance. But if one side becomes too heavy, the whole thing can quickly tip.
If an organisation asks too much of its people for too long, the seesaw becomes unbalanced. If individuals neglect their recovery, ignore their warning signs or fail to communicate when they are struggling, the seesaw can also become unbalanced.
The aim is not perfect balance all the time. Work and life are rarely that neat.
There will always be periods of increased demand. There will always be moments when people need more support. There will always be times when the balance needs to be acknowledged and adjusted. The important thing is to notice it early enough to respond proactively, not reactively, or when it’s already too late.
A better conversation about resilience
Too often, resilience is framed as an individual trait. Someone is either resilient or they are not. But that is far too simplistic.
Resilience is shaped by the individual, but it is also shaped by the environment they are operating in.
A person’s ability to cope with pressure is influenced by the quality of leadership around them, the culture they are part of, the resources available, the expectations placed on them and the recovery they are able to access.
We need to ask:
Are the demands reasonable?
Is the pressure proportionate?
Is the person adequately supported?
Are we creating space for recovery?
Are we having honest conversations early enough?
Does this individual understand what supports their own resilience?
Do our leaders and managers know how to support their people?
A sustainable approach to workplace resilience
Workplace resilience is not just an individual responsibility, and it is not just an organisational responsibility. It is a shared responsibility.
Employers have a duty to create conditions where people are not placed under unreasonable or sustained stress. Individuals have a responsibility to understand, build and protect their own resilience. When both sides work together, the result is a healthier, more sustainable approach to performance. That is the resilience seesaw.
And when we pay attention to both sides, and we have the right tools, we give people a much better chance of staying well, adapting under pressure and performing in a way that can be sustained.
Helping organisations build resilience and sustainable high performance culture
If this idea of the resilience seesaw resonates, it may be time to look more closely at how your organisation is supporting both sides of the equation.
Leanne’s keynotes help organisations explore the connection between wellbeing, resilience and sustainable high performance, giving leaders and teams practical ways to manage pressure, protect energy and perform well over time.
You can also download the State of Workplace Wellbeing Report 2026 for further insight into what organisations are currently doing well, where the gaps are, and how to build a more proactive approach to workplace wellbeing.
Explore Leanne’s wellbeing keynotes, and get in touch today to discuss the needs of your organisation and any upcoming events.
