Exploring antifragility in the workplace: insights from HRM practices and employee behavior

Abstract

This study investigates antifragile workers—employees who grow stronger under stress—as a sustainable workforce strategy in Human Resource Management (HRM). Antifragility represents an evolution beyond resilience by enabling workers to adapt and thrive in an ever-changing environment. Primary data were collected through a survey of 33 professionals across different sectors and a focus group involving staff from Evercare Hospital. The findings indicate that 74% of respondents identified themselves as antifragile to some extent. Key traits included adaptability to change (69.7%) and learning from failure (66.7%). Focus group participants identified experiences such as the COVID-19 pandemic and hospital rebranding as catalysts for developing antifragility.