Civil Service resiliency and coping

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to explore the interrelationship between workplace stress, coping and resiliency and their influence on employee health and productivity.Design/methodology/approachThis general review includes an examination of selected theoretical models within the areas of stress, coping and resiliency. In addition, a conceptual framework is presented which emphasizes the role that personality characteristics and coping strategies play in impacting employees' overall health and productivity within the workplace.FindingsThrough this general review, there is a recognition of the importance of both personality characteristics and coping strategies and their associated influence on employee health and productivity – specifically within Civil Service work settings.Practical implicationsManagers, executives and human resource management practitioners are presented with proposed strategies as a means of examining coping, resiliency and workplace stress within Civil Service work environments.Originality/valueThis article offers readers further insights into understanding why some employees are more or less resilient, given the same stressful situation. In today's Civil Service work environment, continually shifting performance expectations and media/public scrutiny are just two of the features common to working for government agencies. Therefore, the issue of understanding and building resilient Civil Service workforces that are able to handle the multitude of unique demands and constraints placed on them seems not only intriguing, but necessary.