There are two types of protective factors involved in resilience: the rugged qualities that reside
within all of us, and the resources that support us.
The Standard Manual for Workplace Settings contains a series of modules, one for each of the 10 protective factors (five rugged qualities and five resources) that have been found to be most important for employees experiencing unusual amounts of stress on the job or at home.
Rugged Qualities:
1. Flexibility – the ability to adapt to changes by applying multiple strategies based on the
situation. Being flexible requires us to recognize our beliefs, gather evidence to dispute or
support our beliefs, and use the knowledge we gained to challenge how we see problems.
2. Motivation and Perseverance – the ability to continue behaving in ways that benefit us
during difficult times. Motivation and perseverance mean getting back up after failing and
continuing to try in the face of challenges.
3. Help-Seeking – getting help from others when we are experiencing a problem,
feeling troubled, or when we encounter a stressful circumstance. Help seeking is actively
looking for solutions to our problems.
4. Mindfulness and Self-Regulation – the ability to be present and aware of ourselves during
a difficult time. Mindfulness and self-regulation mean understanding and accepting what
happens and having control over our responses.
5. Self-Efficacy and Confidence – the ability to see ourselves as people who are worthy and
capable. Self-efficacy and confidence is the degree to which we value or like ourselves, and
how much we believe in our capacity to complete a task.
Resources:
1. Regular Routines – the ability to create predictable, reoccurring interactions or events that
help us to feel safe and optimistic about the future.
2. Opportunities to Use One’s Talents – knowing our strengths allows us to understand the
things we excel at and use our skills to contribute to the wellbeing of others. Talents are things
we can do well, with a high likelihood that we will succeed.
3. Cultural Practices – the practices that are collectively held and sometimes repeated over time.
Cultural practices can offer us a meaningful life, result in higher self-esteem, and connect us
with our community.
4. Relationships with Co-workers, Family and Community – having positive relationships
with others helps us feel like we belong to a community and increases our self-efficacy.
Our social capital is the network of relationships that we build over time that is available
when we need help dealing with a crisis.
5. Fair Treatment – socially just access to the resources we need to live our best lives.
Fair treatment means that we respect the rights of ourselves and others to be safe and
have opportunities to realize our potential.
Each module contains key learning objectives, a summary of the science and case studies, as well as activities that can be used to help employees build resilience.
