Building a Resilient Workforce: Opportunities for the Department of Homeland Security: Workshop Summary

Every Job Can Lead To Stress. How People Cope With That Stress Can Be Influenced By Many Factors. The Department Of Homeland Security (dhs) Employs A Diverse Staff That Includes Emergency Responders, Border Patrol Agents, Federal Air Marshals, And Policy Analysts. These Employees May Be Exposed To Traumatic Situations And Disturbing Information As Part Of Their Jobs. Dhs Is Concerned That Long-term Exposure To Stressors May Reduce Individual Resilience, Negatively Affect Employees' Well-being, And Deteriorate The Department's Level Of Operation Readiness. To Explore Dhs Workforce Resilience, The Institute Of Medicine Hosted Two Workshops In September And November 2011. The September Workshop Focused On Dhs's Operational And Law Enforcement Personnel, While The November Workshop Concentrated On Dhs Policy And Program Personnel With Top Secret Security Clearances. The Workshops Brought Together An Array Of Experts From Various Fields Including Resilience Research, Occupation Health Psychology, And Emergency Response. The Report Presents Highlights From More Than 20 Hours Of Presentations And Discussions From The Two Workshops, As Well As The Agendas And A Complete Listing Of The Speakers, Panelists, And Planning Committee Members. Introduction And Overview -- Overview Of The Department Of Homeland Security Resilience Issues And Programs -- An Operational Definition Of Resilience -- Factors Influencing Workforce Effectiveness And Resilience -- Resilience Programs And Interventions -- Leveraging Existing Services And Programs To Support Resilience -- Understanding Individual And Organizational Resilience And Performance Measures -- Perspectives On Priorities And Next Steps. Heather M. Colvin And Rachel M. Taylor, Rapporteurs ; Planning Committee On Workforce Resiliency Programs, Board On Health Sciences Policy, Institute Of Medicine Of The National Academies. Title From Pdf Title Page. Includes Bibliographical References. This Study Was Supported By Contract No. Hshqdc-08-c-00111 Between The National Academy Of Sciences And Department Of Homeland Security. Any Opinions, Findings, Conclusions, Or Recommendations Expressed In This Publication Are Those Of The Author(s) And Do Not Necessarily Reflect The View Of The Organizations Or Agencies That Provided Support For This Project. English.