Building Trauma Informed Workplaces — Fostering Community

Have you ever felt immensely alone? Have you ever felt that way in the workplace?

Most of us can answer ‘yes’ to one or both questions. Earlier this month, the US Surgeon General released a report on the ‘Our epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation’ highlighting, among other things, that even before the pandemic, around half of American adults reported experiencing measurable loneliness.

Our topic today isn’t loneliness, but something that can be a powerful tool to combat it- Community.

This is part four of the series on building Trauma Informed workplaces; if you haven’t read the introductory article, you can read it here.

As we build trauma informed workplace cultures, we are focusing on seven foundational principles based on work created by SAMSHA for trauma informed care.

These principles are as follows: Safety, Trust & Transparency, Community, Collaboration, Empowerment, Humility & Responsiveness, and Cultural, Historical, & Gender issues.

We’ve been discussing the concept of community in the workplace much more in recent years- with much of it centering on the effect of the pandemic on workplace communities and the implications of remote, hybrid, and in-person work. Regardless of mode, location, or type of work, community is foundational to building a trauma informed workplace culture.

When we discuss community at work, we are looking at how the workplace supports the essential human needs of social support and belonging. Considering the amount of time the majority of adults spend at work, positive, meaningful relationships are key to overall feelings of social support and have significant implications for employee engagement.

For many decades, Gallup has asked whether employees have a ‘best friend at work’ as part of their Q12 Employee Engagement survey and for good reason. Gallup research shows employees who have a best friend at work are more likely to engage customers and internal partners, get more done in less time, support safe workplaces, innovate, collaborate, and have fun while at work.

Most of us understand the importance of community, but it’s important to call out why it is foundational to creating a trauma informed workplace culture.

Trauma doesn’t occur in a vacuum- an individual’s experience occurs in the context of community. Community or lack thereof can factor into how someone experiences a traumatic event and the potential long-term implications of that trauma. Workplace community is included in these impacts.

A strong, supportive community can buffer against the negative effects of trauma. When individuals have access to supportive relationships, such as family, friends, trusted co-workers, or community groups, they are more likely to receive emotional support, understanding, and validation. By raising awareness, reducing stigma, and promoting understanding, communities can create an environment that supports trauma survivors, prevents trauma, and fosters a culture of empathy and compassion.

Connecting with others who have gone through similar experiences can make you feel understood and realize your reactions and emotions are valid. A supportive community can also be pivotal in rebuilding trust.

It’s important to note that communities can contribute to the negative experience of trauma as well. Negative community attitudes, victim-blaming, or lack of support may worsen the impact of trauma. Communities can also traumatize or re-traumatize their members; so, focusing on creating supportive, reciprocal communities is key as we look at a trauma informed culture.

How to Foster Community at Work

In the context of the workplace, community refers to a sense of belonging, connection, and mutual support among employees within the organization. It is a collective identity that extends beyond individual roles and departments, and many communities exist within a single organization.

Common Purpose

One of the greatest ways to create community within your organization is a shared purpose- and you should already have one of those! What’s key is to make sure the common purpose of the organization is clear and repeated. Every member of the team should be able to speak to the overarching mission or goals of your organization.

To deepen the sense of purpose, make sure each employee understands how their work contributes to that overarching purpose and why they add value and help the organization reach that goal. As a leader, show your team the connection of their work to the overall purpose and it will further that sense of belonging.

Peer Support

In SAMHSA’s model for a trauma informed approach, it addresses the importance of peer support — in which peers refer to other individuals who have experiences of trauma. Peer support focuses on collaboration and sharing between individuals who have unique shared perspectives and experiences to support each other through their journey.

With this concept of peer support in mind, organizations should look to create deliberate connection points throughout each point of the employee journey to facilitate peer group communities within the organization. This would be in addition to looking to foster community overall within the organization and within and among teams working together.

Creating a sense of connection and belonging at all significant moments in the employee lifecycle is an excellent way to foster peer group support and support general culture building and growth and development.

The example below highlights ways to create connection and community at different points in the employee journey- in this example, onboarding, becoming a new manager, leadership, and offboarding. Note that not all employees hit these milestones at the same time, or at all. That is why driving community in these moments is key, as these employees need new peer support resources.

Employee Resource or Affinity Groups

Employee Resource and Affinity Groups can also be an amazing way to encourage community within your organization and provide peer support. Clear ground rules and purposes are foundational to these groups to ensure they are meaningful. If objectives are attached to these groups, they must be properly resourced, and expectations must be clearly communicated to all to ensure validity is not eroded.

Many organizations do great work around ERGs and Affinity groups and model best practices for organizations that seek to implement them.

A Word on Mentorship Programs

I have mixed feelings when it comes to mentorship programs. It comes down to the goal(s) of the program and how well these programs are executed. Mentorship programs can absolutely create a sense of connection and community; however, if mentors and mentees are assigned and the program is mandatory, it may not work as well as some of the other options outlined above. So, if your sole focus is creating community, mentorship programs would not be the best place to start.

That said, mentorship can be an amazing form of support from someone who has ‘been there’ in terms of the challenges an individual is facing. Mentorship will work best when connections can form in an authentic way.

Much like ERGs and Affinity groups, mentorship programs will be most impactful when designed in a deliberate way and focused on the goal of the program. Additionally, mandating mentorship can lead to challenging relationship dynamics which can work against its success.

The new face of work looks much different than it did just a few short years ago. Many of us spend much less time working with others in person and for those of us who still work most often in the office, connection doesn’t happen by chance. It is more important than ever for organizations to deliberately work to create space for connection and community within their workforce.

Make sure to hit ‘follow’ to ensure you don’t miss upcoming discussions over the next few weeks on the other principles of trauma informed cultures.