Building resilient workforces: A conceptual framework linking organizational climate, employee resilience, and employee wellbeing through the lens of Conservation of Resources theory

Abstract

The growing complexity of today’s workplaces and the enduring effects of global crises have increased the need to understand how employees maintain wellbeing amid continuing resource demands. This conceptual paper, grounded in Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, presents an integrative framework that positions organizational climate and employee resilience as key contextual and personal resources associated with employee wellbeing. The framework proposes that a supportive organizational climate provides contextual resources that help employees acquire, retain, and protect valued resources. Employee resilience functions as a personal resource that facilitates adaptation to adversity and helps employees sustain positive functioning when resources are threatened or depleted. From a COR perspective, these processes may contribute to resource gain spirals that support employee wellbeing and reduce vulnerability to workplace stressors. The study uses an integrative review of existing empirical and theoretical literature to develop the proposed framework. The conceptualization extends the application of COR theory to organizational wellbeing by integrating organizational climate and employee resilience and offers practical implications for developing resilient and wellbeing-oriented workforces.