Understanding Workplace Trauma: A Guide for Business Owners
Hi there! I’m Denise G Lee, a coach for entrepreneurs. My job is to help you and your business overcome challenges. One big issue that’s often ignored is workplace trauma. As a leader, you may just want to keep your head down and just focus on that bottom line. However, ignoring stress at work is like putting a band-aid on a leaky pipe. It might hold for a minute, but eventually, it’s going to flood the basement!
Leaders like you need mentally stable and positive people. Not only does their health impact your financials, but it also determines how well your business runs.
In this article, we’ll talk about how to spot and handle trauma at work. Knowing how to manage it is important for creating a supportive workplace. This guide will give you practical advice, facts, and tips to help you in tough situations. Whether you’re dealing with trauma yourself or helping your team, this guide will give you what you need.
People often take a long time to recognize trauma because its effects can be subtle and develop slowly. They might not connect their feelings and behaviors to a past traumatic event. They may also be reluctant to admit they are struggling due to stigma or fear of being judged.
What is Workplace Trauma?
Before we dive into how trauma shows up at work, let’s first define trauma and why people don’t easily recognize it.
What is Trauma?
Trauma is a very upsetting experience that deeply affects a person’s mind and body. It can happen because of events like accidents, natural disasters, personal losses, or violent incidents. Trauma can have lasting effects on mental and physical health, causing headaches, insomnia, anxiety, nightmares, and depression, anger issues – just to name a few nasty side effects.
Most people think that trauma only happens outside the office. They believe that when the workday ends, you can leave work problems behind.
Not so.
Eight-plus hours of dealing with demands, lies, instability, and constant pressure can put immense stress on the mind and body.
Big and Little Ts in Trauma
Trauma can be categorized into “big T” and “little t” traumas. “Big T” traumas are major events like severe accidents, natural disasters, or assaults. At work, a “big T” could be getting fired or laid off without notice. Maybe a faithful team leader from a different section is laid off or your group or is reassigned with no explanation or notice.
“Little t” traumas are smaller, more common experiences like ongoing stress at work, relationship troubles with coworkers, or minor accidents. Just because they are little doesn’t mean a pile-up of these issues won’t impact one’s mindset. For example, at one job site, certain people were stressed because someone was constantly taking their food from the office refrigerator at night. Who does that? Anyway, both types of trauma can significantly impact a person’s mental health.
Why It Takes Long to Recognize Trauma
People often take a long time to recognize trauma because its effects can be subtle and develop slowly. They might not connect their feelings and behaviors to a past traumatic event. Or maybe the folk in your office may also be reluctant to admit they are struggling due to stigma or fear of being judged.
Next, let’s talk about how trauma impacts work productivity.
How Trauma Affects the Workplace
As I mentioned earlier, stress doesn’t operate in a vacuum. Trauma can lead to employees dealing with anxiety, depression, PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), and other mental health issues. And in the workplace, these issues can result in:
- Lower productivity
- More sick days
- A tense work environment
Employees affected by trauma may have trouble concentrating, show emotional outbursts, or struggle with maintaining professional relationships.
Recognizing Trauma in Employees
As a business owner, it’s important to notice signs of trauma in your employees. These signs can include:
- Changes in Behavior: Sudden changes in personality, mood swings, or unusual behaviors.
- Physical Symptoms: Frequent headaches, tiredness, or other stress-related health issues.
- Emotional Outbursts: Increased irritability, anger, or crying.
- Withdrawal: Becoming socially distant or disengaged from work activities.
- Decline in Performance: A noticeable drop in work quality or productivity.
The Importance of Early Detection
Spotting trauma early can prevent further psychological damage and help create a more supportive work environment. Employees who feel understood and supported are more likely to recover and return to being productive. Early detection and support can make a big difference in their recovery and overall workplace harmony.
I hope this explains the importance of recognizing how trauma can impact you and your team members. Next, let’s discuss some scenarios of how trauma can show up in the workplace.
Nobody can heal until everyone is ready to talk about what is happening inside themself as well as what is happening around them.
How Trauma Shows Up at Work
Example 1: Tech Company
A medium-sized tech company saw productivity drop and sick leave increase. After asking their employees, they found out many were stressed and burnt out. The company decided to train managers, offer flexible work hours, and start wellness programs. Six months later, employee morale and productivity greatly improved.
Example 2: Retail Business
A retail business had high employee turnover and low job satisfaction. They brought in a life coach to run stress management and resilience workshops. The workshops included practical exercises and access to mental health resources. This led to lower turnover rates and higher job satisfaction.
Even if your workplace hasn’t faced these exact issues, it’s important to notice if any team member seems emotionally stressed by tight deadlines and high expectations. Next, we’ll discuss how you, as the business owner, can address unresolved trauma at work.
Dealing with Workplace Trauma
Making a Supportive Place
Nobody can heal until everyone is ready to talk about what is happening inside themself as well as what is happening around them. So to handle trauma well, you need to make sure your workplace is supportive. Here’s how:
- Open Communication: Encourage talking openly about mental health. Make sure everyone feels safe sharing their issues without worrying about being judged. You can do this by having regular talks or setting up ways for people to give feedback without saying who they are.
- Training for Managers: Teach your managers how to spot and handle trauma. Give them the skills to help employees and guide them to the right help. This might mean having workshops or online classes about understanding mental health.
- Access to Resources: Make sure everyone can get help for their mental health, like counseling or Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). Tell them how to find these services and let them know they’re there.
Taking a Trauma-Sensitive Approach
A trauma-sensitive approach means understanding how trauma affects people and knowing how to help them get better. Here’s how:
- Keeping Everyone Safe: Make sure everyone feels safe both physically and emotionally at work. This could mean not allowing bullying or harassment and making sure the workspace feels welcoming.
- Being Trustworthy: Build trust by always being clear and honest in your communication. Keep people updated on what’s happening in the company and always do what you say you will.
- Supporting Each Other: Encourage team members to help each other out. You could set up groups where people can share their experiences and give each other advice.
- Working Together: Involve everyone in making decisions, especially ones that affect their work and how they feel. Ask for their ideas on new projects or rules to make sure they feel important and listened to.
- Giving Power: Make people feel strong by recognizing what they’re good at and letting them make decisions about their work. Let them take charge and make choices about what they do.
By doing these things, you can make your workplace a better, stronger place where everyone feels important and cared for. Next, I will share some tips to help you support your team members during hard times at work.
Like everything that is worthwhile, dealing with workplace trauma takes intention. Choosing to invest in your employees mental health not helps their mindset but improves your bottom line.
8 Ways to Help Your Team Deal with Tough Times at Work
Like everything that is worthwhile, dealing with workplace trauma takes intention. Choosing to invest in your employees mental health not helps their mindset but improves your bottom line. Here are some ways you can educate yourself and your team members about mental health and wellbeing.
Step 1: Learn About Trauma
First, educate yourself and your team about trauma. Read books, go to workshops, and teach your team what trauma is. Knowing more will help you all support each other better. My blog is full of tips about how trauma impacts the mind.
Step 2: Talk Openly
Make it easy for everyone to talk about their problems. Have regular meetings where people can share how they’re feeling. Let everyone know that their mental health matters.
Step 3: Be Flexible
Sometimes, it’s hard for people to stick to a strict schedule when they’re going through tough times. Offer flexible hours or let people work from home to help them manage their stress.
Step 4: Get Help From the Pros
Make sure everyone knows how to get help if they need it. Tell them about counseling services or Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). Having someone to talk to can really make a difference.
Step 5: Create a Caring Atmosphere
Lead by example and show kindness to everyone. Encourage your team to support each other. Doing things together, like team-building activities, can help everyone feel like they belong.
Step 6: Focus On Wellness
Think about setting up programs that help people take care of themselves, like yoga or stress management classes. These can help your team feel better and be more productive.
Step 7: Encourage Breaks
Make sure everyone knows it’s okay to take time off when they need it. Resting is important for getting better and staying healthy.
Step 8: Monitor and Adjust
Watch how everyone’s doing and be ready to make changes if needed. Ask for feedback regularly and be willing to change things to make them better for your team.
The image below summarizes these tips. Next, I will share my final thoughts.
Final Thoughts
Don’t let emotional problems with team members blow up into something nasty. For both your business to do well and for your team members to stay healthy, it’s really important to notice, handle, and help with trauma at work. By making a place where everyone feels supported, giving practical help, and using professional help, you can help your team deal with tough times.
If you found this guide helpful and want more support with dealing with trauma and other work problems, I’m here to help. As a coach for entrepreneurs, I offer personalized coaching to help you and your team do better.
Also, check out this episode from my entrepreneur podcast where I talk about how to deal with emotionally charged people. Together, we can make your workplace healthier and more productive.
