The instinct to ‘just keep going’ in the most challenging of circumstances runs deep in the psyche of people who work in the public sector. That is a tribute to their commitment and tenacity. But as we emerge from 15 months of lockdown, and with further uncertainty ahead, it is time to ask what this deep commitment has cost people on the frontline, and what the organisations they work for can do about it.

As we have worked with our clients during the pandemic, we have been humbled by the sheer grit and determination demonstrated by public sector staff at all levels. But we have also wondered about the future, and what happens when the adrenaline response to a crisis eventually runs out. Surely, we asked, there is more to organisational resilience than just the collective resilience of the individuals who work there?