Understanding Trauma
By definition, trauma is the lasting emotional response that often results from living through a distressing event.
Examples of traumas that can exist in the workplace are:
Stressful events – ex: loss
Organizational stressors – ex: toxic work environment
Physical stressors – ex: working amid construction
External threats – ex: evacuation or lockdown
Similarly,
racial trauma, or race-based traumatic stress (RBTS), refers to the mental and emotional injury caused by encounters with racial bias and ethnic discrimination, racism, and hate crimes.
Experiencing a traumatic event can harm a person's sense of safety, sense of self, and ability to regulate emotions and navigate relationships. And while employers cannot guarantee that employees will never be exposed to trauma in the workplace, they can take action to help prevent the most debilitating effects of exposure to trauma by adequately preparing employees.
PROVIDING THE TOOLS
HR & DEI teams are generally tasked with helping the org navigate employee wellbeing. But the reality is very few HR & DEI professionals are equipped to handle a traumatized workforce.
- They are not trained in this capacity
- They are often experiencing the traumas alongside fellow employees
So what are the options for HR teams?
1.) Develop ERGs:
Employee Resource Groups, also known as affinity groups, have emerged in the workplace as a standard component of diversity and inclusion initiatives. In fact. according to a report from Bentley University, nearly 90% of all Fortune 500 companies have ERGs.
It’s important to note the ERGs support employees beyond race. They support gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc. The key is giving the employee access to a community to create a greater sense of belonging.
2.) Provide Safe Spaces:
When navigating racial trauma, senior leaders
shouldn’t be afraid of creating exclusive groups. Bring in skilled experts in racial trauma to help affected employees process what they are experiencing and feeling. The time will come when you can bring all employees together to talk about racism, but now is not that time.
3.) Provide Consistent Mental Health Tools:
Help employees manage anxious or depressive thoughts by discussing and regularly encouraging the sharing of coping strategies.
- Bring in a wellness practitioner for a Wellness Wednesday session
- Share any of the free wellness videos we included in our February Culture Calendar listed below
- Research mental health apps to introduce to the org
4.) Record Employee’s Emergency Contact:
Whether remote or in person, you still benefit from having an employee’s emergency contact. Since every team member will handle trauma differently, it’s important to have a family member you can contact if you fear an employee is at risk for harm.
5.) Increase Training:
For Employees – Normalize mandatory Emotional Intelligence Training
LEADERSHIP'S RESPONSIBILITY
Creating empathetic leaders trained to recognize distress among employees and willing to share their own experiences with mental health challenges will be key to any program's success.
Leaders can communicate their response to traumatic events by way of internal blogs, podcast, fireside chats, or even reaching out to groups affected personally. And while leaders shouldn't feel the need to address every event that could trigger an employee, their participation in the mental health discussion is vital in reducing the stigma around prioritizing mental health in the workplace.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Trauma in the workplace is quite literally unavoidable. And recovery from trauma doesn't happen overnight. Every employee responds differently, which means a long-term commitment to worker well-being and support systems that give employees control over their own journeys is vital. Combine that with collecting feedback from teams regularly and you've laid the foundation for a true employee-first organization.
Additional Resources:
