MIT Sloan Management Review Article on Stop Telling Employees to Be Resilient

Lately, it feels like “resilience” has popped up as the answer to just about everything. Having a hard time because of a toxic environment? Just be resilient. Struggling to home-school your kids while working 50-hour weeks during a global pandemic? Try some resilience.

Resilience, or the ability to withstand hardship and bounce back from difficult events, is useful when it comes to work. But, too often, it’s presented in a way that overlooks structural issues and instead encourages employees to grin and bear whatever tough stuff comes their way — and to do so on their own, without disturbing their colleagues.

About the Author

Liz Fosslien is head of content and communications at Humu, a company that nudges people toward better work habits. Mollie West Duffy is the global director of learning and development at Perkins & Will. They are coauthors of the books Big Feelings: How to Be Okay When Things Are Not Okay (Portfolio, 2022) and No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work (Portfolio, 2019). Follow them on Twitter and Instagram.

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