What Resilience really means at work
Build resilient people. Build resilient organisations.
Resilience is no longer a “nice to have”: it’s a core capability for thriving in uncertainty, navigating complexity, and sustaining wellbeing. Our research shows that resilient individuals don’t simply bounce back — they adapt, learn, and lead with clarity even under pressure.
Resilience shapes how people think, decide and recover when the pace is high and the pressure is real. It is not a fixed trait. It is a set of emotional patterns and habits that influence whether someone stays steady, collaborates well and makes clear choices or whether stress begins to erode judgement and energy. In workplaces where demands shift quickly, understanding these patterns is essential for protecting wellbeing and sustaining performance.
BeTalent Resilience provides a structured and practical way to see how individuals and teams respond under strain. It maps nine evidence based dimensions of emotional resilience and highlights the responses that are most likely to appear on both strong days and difficult ones. This gives people a grounded view of where confidence, focus and recovery are supported and where the risks to clarity or balance might sit.
Organisations gain a shared language for handling pressure and clearer insight into early burnout risks. Individuals receive feedback they can turn into small, practical adjustments that improve decision quality and emotional steadiness. Teams see the collective pattern so they can strengthen challenge, openness and support.
This approach treats resilience as something that can grow. It gives leaders and teams evidence they can use to stay effective without sacrificing health or perspective.
This page offers a compilation of our work on resilience: the science, the models, the tools, and the evidence of impact. Everything is grounded in rigorous research and designed to help organisations create environments where people can perform at their best.
The Neuroscience of Resilience
When cortisol stays high for too long, the brain can shift into a heightened state of alertness. The amygdala becomes more reactive, scanning for risk and pulling attention toward anything that feels even slightly uncertain. A neutral message, a tight deadline or an offhand remark can feel far more threatening than it is.
At the same time, elevated stress is described as reducing the effectiveness of the prefrontal cortex. This is the region that helps with steady thinking, emotional regulation and perspective. When it is under strain, it becomes harder to stay calm, weigh situations clearly or keep small issues in proportion. Black and white thinking and rapid emotional swings can feel more common.
High cortisol can also disrupt the natural rise and fall of sleep-related hormones. If levels remain elevated late in the day, melatonin may be suppressed, making it harder to fall asleep or stay asleep. Poor rest then feeds back into greater sensitivity and lower resilience.
Together, these patterns can make people feel tense, less clear headed and quicker to react on instinct rather than intention. Practices that support the parasympathetic nervous system can be helpful for restoring balance and rebuilding resilience.
BeTalent Research
Everything we do is anchored in science.
According to our research, resilience is fuelled by four pillars that work together.
In our programmes, we touch all four, and the BeTalent Resilience Questionnaire focuses on personal attributes because they’re the part individuals can most actively develop.
This awareness brings understanding of what helps us thrive and what can trip us up. BeTalent Resilience then points you to practical shifts you can make (and sustain) to protect wellbeing and perform well under pressure.
The 4 Pillars of Resilience
Herbert Freudenberger and Gail North’s 12-stage burnout model illustrates a common pattern: starting with a drive to prove yourself and difficulty switching off, then neglecting basic needs, withdrawing, becoming cynical, and if unaddressed, sliding towards exhaustion and depression.
People don’t always move step by step, but spotting these signs early helps you act sooner. The BeTalent Resilience Questionnaire supports this by revealing your personal resilience strengths and risks and giving practical strategies to manage pressure and recover before burnout takes hold.
The BeTalent Model
A validated metric of resilience in the workplace
The BeTalent Model of Resilience brings together robust psychological research and real-world application to show how resilience actually operates day to day. Built to reflect the dynamic, learnable nature of resilience, the model captures nine core dimensions that influence how people think, feel and respond under pressure.
BeTalent’s nine resilience dimensions are represented as pairs of contrasting emotions (e.g., Worried–Carefree, Hesitant–Confident).
Our work-based Resilience questionnaire maps where someone tends to sit on each pair on good days (resilient strengths that help performance) and on tough days (resilience risks that can get in the way). Drawing on what we know about brain plasticity, the tool helps people turn these patterns into practical strategies so that they can reinforce helpful responses, spot early warning signs, and protect their wellbeing.
In fast-paced, high-intensity roles, gaps on any dimension can mean needs are ignored, strengths are overused, or judgement becomes less effective. BeTalent Resilience helps individuals and teams use their strengths more deliberately and reduce the chances of stress and burnout.
A research-led, scientific look at how people, teams and organisations can use and understand psychology to be happier, healthier, more productive and more engaged.
Discover thought leadership on resilience and subscribe to get the latest insights.
Download a sample report
BeTalent Resilience provides a structured and practical way to see how individuals and teams respond under strain. It maps nine evidence based dimensions of emotional resilience and highlights the responses that are most likely to appear on both strong days and difficult ones. This gives people a grounded view of where confidence, focus and recovery are supported and where the risks to clarity or balance might sit.
“The BeTalent Resilience session was brilliant, gave me some space for reflection about some of my behaviours particularly when I feel stressed and I loved that you shared strategies I can use to help in those moments. I’ve recommended the session to some of my peers. Thanks again, it was really well delivered.”
Our Work with Resilience
Learn how other organisations have benefited from BeTalent Resilience. Here are just a select few case studies showcasing our work.
Turning Strengths and Resilience into Strategic Impact
Through a powerful blend of strengths-based coaching, resilience training and decision-making diagnostics, AtkinsRéalis partnered with BeTalent by Zircon to elevate the performance and cohesion of its executive leadership team.
Leadership Blueprint for a Seasonal, High-Scale Business
With BeTalent by Zircon, Haven transformed leadership development into a scalable, data-powered programme that empowers managers across 39 locations to lead vibrant, self-contained communities across the UK.
Building Resilient Leaders Through the Uncertainty of a Major Acquisition
Coventry Building Society worked with BeTalent to equip leaders with practical resilience tools, shared language, and renewed clarity to navigate intense organisational change.Thought Leadership Library
At BeTalent by Zircon, we’ve been researching resilience for years. Below is a compilation of our published research, thought leadership and additional resources to further your learning.
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Monet Goode
FOUNDER
With a vision for building something meaningful, our founder brings a blend of big-picture thinking and hands-on experience.
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Emmett Marsh
SALES MANAGER
Focused, approachable, and driven by results, our sales manager is all about building strong relationships. They help connect people to the right solutions—with clarity and care. -
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Eleanor Parks
MARKETING DIRECTOR
Creative and strategic in equal measure, our marketing director brings fresh ideas to every campaign. They turn insights into action and help our message resonate with the right audience. -
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Karl Holland
CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER
Friendly, attentive, and always ready to help, our customer service manager ensures every interaction is a positive one. They keep communication clear, timely, and human. -
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Thought Leadership Library
At BeTalent by Zircon, we’ve been researching psychological safety for years. Below is a compilation of our published research, thought leadership and additional resources to further your learning.
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The links between resilient leadership, psychological safety and wellbeing
Amanda Potter, Emily Willis & Jessica Nelkin
Resilient leaders positively impact their work environment and contribute to a feeling of psychological safety. In this environment, employees are more likely to experience and demonstrate high levels of wellbeing and less likely to demonstrate poor emotional health. We propose that organisations that prioritise wellbeing should also prioritise leadership resilience and psychological safety.
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Understanding the relationship between personal strengths and psychological safety
Amanda Potter & Jessica Ross
After working on several client projects that explored levels of psychological safety and the benefit of playing to our strengths, it was hypothesised that there could be a link between psychologically safe environments and whether individuals were empowered and enabled to leverage their strengths. Our analysis determined that there is a relationship between the concepts and the implications of this are discussed.
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Hybrid working: At what cost?
Dr Amanda Potter and Jessica Ross
Covid changed how we work, with many organisations now adopting a hybrid approach. The impact this has on psychological safety is thus far unknown, with much of the research on psychological safety being conducted on MS Teams. We were therefore interested to determine if there is a difference in levels of psychological safety depending on work location (office, hybrid or remote). This article discusses our findings. -
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Behavioural Diagnostics
The Environment Agency publication.
When the Environment Agency embarked on an ambitious and vital 6yr flood risk management programme they did so under the mandate they would work with external and internal organisations as if they were one team. Tackling nature and climate emergencies across the UK required everyone involved to work collaboratively and trust on a scale they had never seen. Partnering with BeTalent by Zircon Psychologists they worked to strengthen trust by developing a climate of psychological safety. Their wokr together was an award winning accomplishment.
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Home Truths
Dr Amanda Potter and Jessica Nelkin
Gauging impacts and influences caused by such lived historic events as the pandemic, are complex. But in the world of work, an employee experience framework can measure the psychological shifts within the workforce and provide insights for businesses to strategically leverage. Solutions require more than intuition, what is needed is a scientific approach, with psychometric and profiling tool capability, that can explore levels of resilience and psychological safety, in order to understand motivators at individual and team levels.
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Assessing Psychological Safety: Correlates of a New Scale
Adrian Furnham, George Horne, Jessica Ross, Amanda Potter
Thought Leadership Library
At BeTalent by Zircon, we’ve been researching resilience for years. Below is a compilation of our published research, thought leadership and additional resources to further your learning.
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Share Resilience Resource Pack
Download our research, publications and case studies, all in one handy pack, ready to share with colleagues and stakeholders.
Wondering how to deploy Resilience in your team?
Get in touch to discuss your specific challenges and opportunities, and we’ll put our best minds on the case.
Resilience Resource Pack
Discover our research, publications and case studies, all in one handy pack.
The links between resilient leadership, psychological safety and wellbeing
Resilient leaders positively impact their work environment and contribute to a feeling of psychological safety. In this environment, employees are more likely to experience and demonstrate high levels of wellbeing and less likely to demonstrate poor emotional health. We propose that organisations that prioritise wellbeing should also prioritise leadership resilience and psychological safety.
Assessment & Development Matters Vol. 14 No. 2 Summer 2022.
Hybrid working: At what cost?
Covid changed how we work, with many organisations now adopting a hybrid approach. The impact this has on psychological safety is thus far unknown, with much of the research on psychological safety being conducted on MS Teams. We were therefore interested to determine if there is a difference in levels of psychological safety depending on work location (office, hybrid or remote). For clarity, we define ‘office’ as working in the office full time, ‘hybrid’ as working in the office some days and at home some days and ‘remote’ as working at home full time. This article discusses our findings.
Assessment & Development Matters Vol. 15 No. 4 Winter 2023.
The neuroscience of popcorn brain & how it impacts your resilience
Have you ever sat down with your phone and thought to yourself ‘just 5 minutes’ and then looked up only to realise it was 2 hours later? As short form videos on platforms like Instagram and TikTok draw you in, it can be hard to break away. On the surface, it seems like a harmless way to pass time, but look beyond the hypnotic catchy songs and colours and our attention spans are changing. Research suggests this can have a knock-on effect on our levels of resilience over time.
Leading with Perspective, July 2025.
BeTalent White Paper: Building Resilience & Creating Psychologically Safe and Healthy Work Practices
Last revised: 2025.
The impact of negative emotions and resilience on decision making and procrastination
Amongst other factors, research suggests that negative emotions could be one of the reasons that individuals procrastinate. Using the BeTalent Resilience and Decision Styles Questionnaires, we found this is indeed the case. Specifically, individuals who are more prone to experience negative emotions are more likely to question their decisions and have an external locus of control, both of which indicate a tendency to procrastinate.
Assessment & Development Matters Vol. 14 No. 3 Autumn 2022.
Resilience in an ever-changing world
For many, resilience has become a badge of honour in navigating the modern working environment. The COVID-19 pandemic only reinforced the need for leaders to be brave and resilient during challenging times. But what does it mean to be resilient, and how important is it in our ever-changing working world?
By Dr Amanda Potter and Tom Emery.
CII The London Journal 2022.
Neuroscience-Informed Strategies for Reducing Stress and Boosting Well-Being in the Workplace
In the complex landscape of today’s workplace, where stress levels often peak due to constant changes and high demands, effective leadership is critical for maintaining a healthy organisational climate.
Insights from the book "It’s Not Bloody Rocket Science" by Dulcie Swanston, alongside our discussions with the author and her colleague Iain Price from our recent podcast episode, highlight how leaders can harness neuroscience to support their teams more effectively during stressful times.
This article focuses on some of these concepts and strategies, including the benefits of compassion, understanding imposter syndrome, psychological safety, and the stress response.
Leading with Perspective, April 2024.
Learning how to bounce back: Do age and experience impact resilience?
When faced with adversity how do we cope and adapt? Why do some of us seem to bounce back faster than others? The answer lies within our levels of resilience. This article explores the differences in resilience between age groups and organisational level, and how the emotions they feel and experience may be different.
Assessment & Development Matters Vol. 13 No. 2 Summer 2021.
The impact of a strengths-based approach on employee resilience, drive and innovation
The literature suggests that there is an undeniable link between strengths and performance. Using the BeTalent Strengths model and a Performance Questionnaire, we found a significant relationship between Strengths and resilience, drive and innovation. More specifically, we found that people with different Strengths are more likely to be perceived by their managers as either Resilient, Driven and/or Innovative, indicating that cognitive or Strengths diversity can help to create high-performing teams.
Assessment & Development Matters Vol. 14 No. 3 Autumn 2022.
Employee Experience: Home Truths
The impacts of major lived events, such as the pandemic, are complex and continue to shape how people think, feel, and behave at work. An employee experience framework grounded in psychometric and profiling science enables organisations to measure psychological shifts, including resilience and psychological safety, and to understand individual and team motivators with greater precision.
By Dr Amanda Potter and Jessica Nelkin.
HR Director, October 2022.