Intro

Welcome to the Freedom from Empty Podcast: Building Strong, Effective, Resilient Leaders and Humans. My name is Booth Andrews, and I am your host. Thank you so much for joining me for this episode. 

Transcript

In Episode 43 of the podcast, I began to make the case for why workplaces should be thinking about the impact of trauma on their workforce–which  ultimately translates to their organization’s profits and well-being–and why I think trauma informed workplaces are (should be) the future of work. 

In this episode I explore the elements of a trauma informed workplace. This episode primarily contains information from other sources, particularly the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (which I am going to refer to as “SAM-SA”), because it has already established guidance for trauma informed programs, organizations and systems. Where applicable, I have modified the language to align more closely with the concept of the trauma informed workplace.

According to an article on govtech.com, 

66% of the general population has been traumatized at some point and

80% of workers feel stressed on the job

“When you combine a traumatic experience and stress, the risk for adverse workplace behaviors can be high.”

https://www.govtech.com/em/health/Trauma-and-How-It-Can-Adversely-Affect-the-Workplace.html

The University of Maryland defines trauma as “an experience that causes physical, emotional, psychological distress or harm. It is an event that is perceived and experienced as a threat to one’s safety or the stability of one’s world.” 

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) says that “Individual trauma results from (1) an event, series of events, or set of circumstances (2) that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening, and (3) that has lasting adverse effects on the individual’s functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional or spiritual well-being. Let’s explore these 3 concepts a little further: 

Events – may occur as a single occurrence or repeatedly over time

Experience – how the individual labels, assigns meaning to, and is disrupted physically and psychologically by an event will contribute to whether or not it is experienced as traumatic; traumatic events by their very nature set up a power differential where one entity (whether an individual, an event, or force of nature) has power over another; the individual’s experience of these events or circumstances is shaped in the context of this powerlessness and questioning; feelings of humiliation, guilt, shame, betrayal, or silencing often shape the experience of the event; how the event is experienced may be linked to a range of factors including the individual’s cultural beliefs, availability of social supports, or to the developmental stage of the individual

Effects – long-lasting adverse effects are a critical component of trauma; these adverse effects may occur immediately or may have delayed onset; duration can be short to long term; examples include an individual’s inability to cope with the normal stresses and strains of daily living; to trust and benefit from relationships; to manage cognitive processes, such as memory, attention, thinking; to regulate behavior; or control the expression of emotions; in addition to more visible effects, there may be an altering of one’s neurobiological make-up and ongoing health and well-being; traumatic effects which may range from hyper-vigilance or a constant state of arousal, to numbing or avoidance, can eventually wear a person down, physically, mentally, and emotionally; survivors have also highlighted the impact of these events on spiritual beliefs and the capacity to make meaning of these experiences

A workplace that is trauma-informed realizes the widespread impact of trauma and understands potential paths for recovery; recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in the people who work for are service by or are otherwise affected by the organization; responds by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices, and; seeks to actively resist re-traumatization. Just like before, we are going to take a deeper look at each of these 4 elements: 

Realization – all people at all levels of the workplace have a basic realization about trauma and understand how trauma can affect families, groups, organizations, and communities as well as individuals; people’s experience and behavior are understood in the context of coping strategies designed to survive adversity and overwhelming circumstances, whether these occurred in the past, whether they are currently manifesting, or whether they are related to emotional distress that results in hearing about the firsthand experiences of another; there is an understanding that trauma plays a role in mental and substance use disorders 

Recognize – people in the workplace are also able to recognize the signs of trauma; these signs may be gender, age, or setting-specific workforce development, employee assistance and supervision practices assist in the recognition of trauma and trauma-related responses

Responds – the workplace responds by applying the principles of trauma-informed approach to all areas of functioning; integrates an understanding that the experience of traumatic events impacts all people involved, whether directly or indirectly; staff in every part of the organization, from the staff that greets clients at the door to the executives and governance board, have changed their language, behaviors and policies to take into consideration the experiences of trauma among every person in or touched by the workplace; this is accomplished through staff training, a budget that supports ongoing training, and leadership that realizes the role of trauma in the lives of their staff and the people they serve; the organization provides access to practitioners trained in evidence-based trauma practices; policies of the organizations, such as mission statements, staff handbooks and manuals promote a culture based on beliefs about resilience, recovery and healing from trauma; the organization is committed to providing a physically and psychologically safe environment; leadership ensures that staff work in an environment that promotes trust, fairness and transparency; the workplace’s response involves a universal precautions approach in which one expects the presence of trauma in lives of individuals being served, ensuring not to replicate it

Resist re-traumatization – staff who work within a trauma-informed environment are taught to recognize how organizational practices may trigger painful memories and re-traumatize individuals with trauma histories

Last but not least for today, we are going to explore SAMSHA’s Six Key Principles of Trauma-Informed Approach

#1 Safety – Throughout the organization, staff and the people they serve feel physically and psychologically safe; the physical setting is safe and interpersonal reactions promote a sense of safety; understanding safety as defined by those served is a high priority

#2 Trustworthiness and Transparency – Organizational operations and decisions are conducted with transparency with the goal of building and maintaining trust among staff and other stakeholders

#3 Peer Support – Peer support and mutual self-help are key vehicles for establishing safety and hope, building trust, enhancing collaboration and utilizing stories and lived experience to promote recovery and healing; the term “peers” refers to individuals with lived experiences of trauma

#4 Collaboration and Mutuality: importance is placed on partnering and the leveling of power differences among organizational staff from clerical and customer support personnel, to professional staff to administrators, demonstrating that healing happens in relationships and in the meaningful sharing of power and decision-making; the organization recognizes that everyone has a role to play in a trauma-informed approach; as one expert stated, “one does not have to be a therapist to be therapeutic”

#5 Empowerment, Voice and Choice: throughout the organization, individuals’ strengths and experiences are recognized and built upon; the organization fosters a belief in the primacy of the people within it and the people they serve, in resilience, and in the ability of individuals, organizations and communities to heal and promote recovery from trauma; the organization understands that the experience of trauma may be a unifying aspect in the lives of those who run the organization, who work within the organization, and/or who come to the organization services and products; as such, the various levels and departments within the workplace are organized to foster empowerment for staff and customers alike; organizations understand the importance of power differentials and ways in which certain individuals and cultures have historically have been diminished in voice and choice; employees are have a voice, are supported in shared decision-making where appropriate, and are empowered and adequately resourced to do their work 

Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues: the organization actively moves past cultural stereotypes and biases (e.g. based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, religion, gender-identity, geography, etc); offers, access to gender responsive services; leverages the healing value of traditional cultural connections; incorporates policies, protocols, and processes that are responsive to the racial, ethnic and cultural needs of individuals services; and recognizes and addresses historical trauma

As a former CEO, I recognize that comprehensive organizational and cultural transformation takes time. The process can be extraordinarily challenging and sometimes painful. As a trauma survivor and as someone who LED and lived while also suffering with chronic and severe mental illness, I also have a deep understanding of the potentially profound impact trauma is having on the majority of your workforce (and ultimately your organization’s well-being and financial success) every single day.

I help organizations design and implement change initiatives in the areas of mental and emotional health and well-being so that these organizations, and the humans within them, can thrive. If you are intrigued, challenged or energized by the concepts presented in this podcast, I hope you will reach out to me at booth@boothandrews.com to continue the conversation.

Outtro

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I look forward to being back with you next time!