The Wounded Workforce: How Trauma Impacts Organizations and How to Overcome It

Most people don’t want to talk about trauma, and I don’t blame them- it certainly isn’t the most warm and fuzzy topic.

Nevertheless, we absolutely need to talk about trauma; especially, how trauma shows up in the workplace.

Why? Because along with skills, education and knowledge, you and your teams bring their lived experiences with them to the workplace. And for at least 70% of U.S. Adults, that includes one or more traumatic experiences.

In discussions, trauma can be a bit of a ‘loaded’ word, so a good place to start the conversation is with a shared definition of trauma.

For our purposes we will use the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) definition.

“Trauma results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced as physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening and that has lasting effects on functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual wellbeing.”

With a significant portion of the workforce facing the impacts of trauma- their own, a loved one, or even secondary or vicarious trauma; the impacts are bound to spill over into the work environment.

These impacts may look like:

• Feelings of detachment and disengagement
• High levels of emotions- including mood swings or outburst
• Physical illness and time away from work
• Lack of interest in work
• Relationship issues
• Unexpected or extreme responses/reactions
• Feeling ‘retraumatized’ by triggering behavior or events

Even with the definition of trauma grounded in the three “E’s”- trauma is inherently individual and personal. How can we possibly seek to address it in the workplace?

While trauma and its impacts are highly personal, building a culture that is trauma informed is key to supporting anyone who may have been impacted by trauma.

Trauma informed cultures center supportive, informed environments where everyone has the opportunity to be successful. It prioritizes eliminating workplace trauma and actively avoids re-traumatizing survivors.

It is important to note that Trauma Informed Cultures DO NOT seek to diagnose or treat trauma. Nor should there be an expectation that individuals are under any obligation to share their traumatic experiences.

I’ve interpreted the Trauma Informed Care Principles developed by SAMHSA in 2014 to focus on application to all organizations and a focus on internal culture versus a client focused approached.

At the core of Trauma Informed Culture are seven principles that help ensure supportive environments for all members of the team- regardless of their experience with Trauma.

​Recognizing and acknowledging the historical trauma, fostering cultural pride and identity, promoting intergenerational connections and support, and seeking culturally sensitive therapeutic interventions are among the approaches that can contribute to healing and breaking the cycle of trauma.

Over the next few weeks, we will be exploring each of these components of trauma informed culture in more detail and with ways to apply them to your teams and organizations.

Make sure to hit ‘follow’ to ensure you don’t miss these discussions.

I am hopeful and excited for a future of work that supports the lived experiences of individuals- including trauma and provides and an avenue for support and meaning. Thank you for reading and I hope you join me on the journey to create trauma informed workplaces!