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Trauma-Informed Workplace: Transforming Work Environments From Stress To Success

January 20, 2025

6 min read

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Author : Kamna Sarin
Trauma-Informed Workplace: Transforming Work Environments From Stress To Success

Introduction

Trauma can affect any individual, and its impact can have an effect across all areas of life and thereby lead to poor quality of life. With the blurring lines between work and home, organisations are finding it difficult to offer adequate and correct supportive measures to employees who have experienced traumatic life events. Hence, workplaces must be very proactive and create a work culture capable of understanding current and future challenges. Thus, we must increase the practice of building and transforming trauma-informed practices which would increase the overall well-being of employees. 

Trauma-Informed Workplace 

Trauma-informed workplace environments understand the role trauma can play in one’s life and help promote work environments that support and ensure an environment of safety and oneness. Trauma-informed workplace regulations need to focus on providing a sense of psychological safety, increasing support and eliminating workplace.

Additionally, it is essential to promote awareness about trauma and help make conversations around trauma easier, which would encourage a perspective shift by increasing people’s empathy help in creating supportive organisations and allow all parties to have the opportunity to be successful.

Impacts Of Trauma-Informed Workplace On Employee

An employee’s trauma can profoundly impact their well-being, productivity, and functioning. 

  • Psychological consequences of trauma in a person’s life may include anxiety, depression, and chronic stress. 
  • Physical health symptoms like chronic unexplained pains or recurrent sleep disturbances.
  • A decrease in one’s ability to focus, make decisions and reduce the quality of relationships with colleagues, which may impact work-related tasks as well as overall job satisfaction.
  • By increasing understanding, and empathy and offering support, an organization and reduce the impact of trauma, which would make the environment successful as well as productive. 
  • Feelings of shame, guilt and isolation are associated with trauma and often percolate into the work environment. Ensuring safety, collaboration and open dialogue, these feelings can be reduced even at the workplace. 
  • Increasing the trust factor between employees and management, by having a clear channel of communication and collaboration for not only work-related tasks but also the overall work culture within the organization helps reduce impact. 
  • Cultivating an attitude of resilience enhances productivity, and helps to promote a sense of belonging for employees within the organisation which would benefit both parties. 

How To Deal If You Work in a Trauma-Informed Workplace 

A Trauma-Informed workplace requires a dedicated commitment to imparting empathy, understanding, and support for oneself and other employees; it is also important to understand that certain behaviours may arise from other traumas, which may impact one’s ability to work fully.

While working in a Trauma-Informed workplace, it is important to understand the six basic principles of the trauma-informed approach given by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

  • safety
  • trustworthiness and transparency
  • peer support
  • collaboration and mutuality
  • empowerment, voice, and choice
  • cultural, historical, and gender issues
  • It is essential to notice and understand the covert and overt signs of trauma. 
  • To help recognise and validate one’s own emotions and reactions which may arise due to the trauma.
  • Engaging in active listening and increasing empathy towards colleagues who may be navigating a trauma situation, as they may require more care, attention and support. 
  • Increase the mental wellness of employees by offering resources such as counselling services, mindfulness programs, and psychotherapy services.
  • Taking a neutral approach and understanding the struggles of different cultural, historical, and gender issues can help individuals feel valued in the workplace. 
  • Ensuring the agency to make informed choices for employees, thereby building confidence and increasing autonomy within the organization.

8 Best Ways to Change Trauma-Informed Workplace 

Some of the best ways to increase workplaces in being more trauma-informed could be by creating environments where individuals feel safe to share their experiences and are willing to seek support.

Trauma-Informed Workplace: Transforming Work Environments From Stress To Success

  • Trust Factor—Trust is a key factor in any organisation and in creating an environment that is trauma-informed. Building trustworthiness and transparency through clear communication and consistent actions ensures honesty and reliability, which increases the trust factor in an organization.
  • Communication between stakeholders—Building a peer or buddy support network, increasing opportunities for colleagues to connect through activities, share experiences, and offer mutual assistance helps maintain a horizontal approach at workplaces, which increases communication and trust.
  • Collaboration between stakeholders—Embracing cooperation and mutual respect in decision-making processes about the organisation, valuing diverse perspectives, and fostering a sense of collective responsibility helps all employees feel included and contributes to their growth and development, which further increases the work culture in an organization. 
  • Encouraging Dialogues – Empowering employees by promoting voice and choice in their work environment, allowing autonomy and self-expression with work and personal grievances would increase the overall environment within the organization.
  • Listening Skills—It is crucial to practice active as well as passive listening, wherein both verbal and non-verbal language are taken into account. It helps to build empathy toward colleagues who may be experiencing trauma, as listening offers a nonjudgmental space for them to share their experiences. 
  • Self-care—Setting aff offers boundaries to prioritise one’s self-prioritise ageing stressors to maintain well-being. Trauma-informed workplaTrauma-informed need for work – balance and cater to these needs holistically. 
  • Inclusion for All: Every person within Everyization comes from different backgrounds, as an informed workplace, respecting education and valuing the unity in diversity as well as the nuances of cultures can offer valuable experiences and increase empathy within organizations.  

Conclusion 

Therefore to conclude, as a society at large, each one of us experienced a collective trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic and are grappling with the effects of it till now. Organizations need to recognize the impact of trauma on an individual’s life and proactively change policies and practices that promote safety, trust, empathy, and empowerment within the organizations. Increasing conversations around mental health, encouraging empathy, collaboration and embracing diversity, help in increasing the holistic well-being of employees. Organisations can not only enhance employee satisfaction and productivity but also contribute to a more compassionate and supportive society at large.

Reference:

N., Flatow, R., Biggs, T., Afayee, S., Smith, K., Clark, T., & Blake, M. (2014). SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach.

Bloom, S. (2012). “The Workplace and trauma-informed systems of care.” Presentation at the National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health. Cohen, J., Mannarino, A., Deblinger, E., (2004). Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT).

Kaldy, J. (2019). Putting Together Pieces of Trauma-Informed Care Puzzle. Caring for the Ages. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carage.2019.08.007

Spicer, S. S., Schwartz, A., & Barber, M. E. (2010). Special Issue on Homelessness and the Transgender Homeless Population. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/19359705.2010.509004

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Author : Kamna Sarin

Kamna Sarin is a Clinical Psychologist based in Gurgaon.

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