How high would you rate your trauma awareness? According to the Worldwide Health Organisation (WHO), the average human will go through roughly 3.5 traumatic events in their lifetime and often the repercussions can take a while to surface. It’s a known phenomenon that the brain sometimes hides particularly stressful, traumatic or fear-related memories to help protect us from emotional pain.
This can work short-term but how do we get behind the “I’m fines” and ensure that employees are safe?
Signs at work to look out for:
- Task avoidance
- Conflict/anger
- Accidents/clumsiness/forgetfulness
- Heightened anxiety
General signs to look out for:
- Being easily startled or frightened
- Self-destructive behaviour, such as drinking too much
- Difficulty concentrating
- Irritability, angry outbursts or aggressive behaviour
Employees suffering from workplace or vicarious trauma don’t often reach their full potential which can have profound implications for organisational performance but also irreversible effects on individuals.
By investing in workplace trauma awareness courses and mental health programmes, employers are given the best chance to help those that need it most and create a healthy work environment in which employees can thrive.
Ways you can help:
- Provide a safe and confidential space for employees to talk
- Ensure your mental health policies are up to date
- Provide free counseling/therapy
- Create a nurturing and family environment
- Provide safeguarding training and resources to employees
If you would like to have a chat about how we might be able to help, get in touch and we can come up with a solution to suit your situation, and in the meantime check out our brand new Trauma Informed Working Masterclass here!