Traumatic events and experiences are more common than we may think and can have lasting effects on a person’s life and health. Trauma can be so widespread that it impacts entire communities. Beyond the physical and psychological consequences of trauma, research shows that trauma can alter a person’s biology and behavior over the course of his or her life. Recognizing trauma and creating trauma-informed environments at work can yield many positive benefits and outcomes.
Trauma Defined
As professionals, we should understand the devastating effects of trauma on those we work with. Being aware, preventing re-traumatization, and mitigating its adverse effects can promote a healthier environment at work. In order to create a better place to work, it’s helpful to know some things about trauma.
Trauma refers to both injurious events themselves as well as to their outcomes, which vary greatly based on a wide variety of personal characteristics and circumstances including the following:
- Genetics
- Epigenetics
- Biology
- Psychology
- Environment
- Family
- Community
- Social
- Spiritual
While everyone might experience trauma differently, whenever a harmful event or experience leads to long-lasting, chronic emotional suffering, it is considered traumatic.
Triggers
Survivors of traumatic events may be triggered either consciously or unconsciously by co-workers and colleagues, situations or events occurring in the workplace or simply the environment itself. Traumatic memories may be provoked through normal encounters at work, including loud noises, extreme stress, or a co-worker’s appearance or mannerisms. While no one wishes to trigger someone who may be suffering, the point is that we might without even knowing.
Examples of Events That May Cause Trauma
We may be unaware that co-workers, colleagues and others we work with five days a week may have experienced some catastrophic event or circumstance at one point or more in their lives. It may be from their childhood. Perhaps they were once in an abusive relationship or a victim of crime or violence. Maybe their child died from a drug overdose. Many times, we just don’t know.
Examples of catastrophic events and forces that can traumatize individuals and entire communities include:
- Environmental disasters
- Poverty
- Discrimination
- Sexism
- War
- Famine
- Genocide
- Torture
- Terrorism
- Forced migration
- Mass incarceration
- Human trafficking
It is because of these factors and many more, that we should learn about trauma and creating a trauma-informed culture in our workplaces.
Trauma-Informed Principles
A good place to start building such a culture starts with adopting trauma-informed principles, especially because we may not know that our friend and colleague at work is suffering. There is evidence from research that creating a trauma-informed system can improve people’s well-being.
Think of a trauma-informed workplace as an ecosystem that has a shared vision and mission as well as core foundational principles that drive healthy encounters and relationships at work.
Trauma-informed principles include:
- Calm – while you are interacting with co-workers and colleagues
- Contain – don’t re-traumatize anyone, but instead model health behaviors and boundaries
- Care – practice self-care and compassion so that you have the energy to help to normalize and destigmatize trauma symptoms
- Cope – talk about healthy coping mechanisms and skills, good relationships, and ways to enhance the person’s resilience
Developing Trauma-Informed Leadership
Beyond these principles, no culture in the workplace will be sustained without strong and focused leadership that values others and is educated on the effects of trauma. Such leaders can be role models and act in certain ways that will better ensure a trauma-informed workplace.
It will take knowledge, patience, skill, care and desire to become this type of leader, but preventing re-traumatization and enhancing the well-being of one’s workforce is well worth the effort.
Strategies and Tips
Trauma-informed leaders are deeply involved in creating a new atmosphere that emphasizes nurturing relationships that are built upon trust, safety, and reciprocity. They move away from the old standard workplace culture of “process and roll” in which staff must work through circumstances at the expense of their well-being. Instead, a new culture may be one in which the following become the new normal:
- During stressful times, encourage staff to take 10 seconds to breathe, 10 minutes to become relaxed and grounded 10 hours to restore their resilience, or if possible 10 days of vacation time
- Employee health and wellness are always considered as important
- Leaders monitor for stress, burnout, anger, sadness, depression, anxiety and then intervene in healthy ways
- Conversations are had about self-care and healthy living
- Leaders are mindful and fully present with their staff and try to avoid triggering words and actions
- Leaders are non-judgmental and greet everyone with smiles and good eye contact
- Leaders remain calm even during some of the most stressful times and don’t react in knee-jerk fashion
- The atmosphere becomes one of genuine emotions and relationships, where open communication is valued
- There are no surprises thrown at employees but instead enough time is allowed for requests or providing new information
- Leadership dusts off old policies and procedures and re-creates new trauma-informed policies and procedures regarding their staff
Final Thoughts on Developing a Trauma-Informed Workplace
Trauma is everywhere and no one is immune to its occurrence or impact. Not everyone is comfortable talking about their traumatic experience, so we may be working side-by-side with someone who has gone through a terrible experience and left them with symptoms of chronic traumatization. Tearing down old workplace cultures and building new trauma-informed environments may lead to healthier and happier employees where they feel loved, respected, supported and better understood.