A practical measure of workplace resilience: developing the resilience at work scale

Abstract

Objective: To develop an effective measure of resilience at work for use in individual work-related performance and emotional distress contexts.

Methods: Two separate cross-sectional studies investigated: (1) exploratory factor analysis of 45 items putatively underpinning workplace resilience among 397 participants and (2) confirmatory factor analysis of resilience measure derived from Study 1 demonstrating a credible model of interaction, with performance outcome variables among 194 participants.

Results: A 20-item scale explaining 67% of variance, measuring seven aspects of workplace resilience, which are teachable and capable of conscious development, was achieved. A credible model of relationships with work engagement, sleep, stress recovery, and physical health was demonstrated in the expected directions.

Conclusion: The new scale shows considerable promise as a reliable instrument for use in the area of employee support and development.