When trauma strikes

Manhatten 2001. For the first time in several years, Mike Jaffe had skipped the early train to work from his Connecticut home, instead taking an early breakfast with his wife and daughter. It wasn’t a huge dent in what was always a long day for the Fortune 500 executive – he was on the train into New York by 7:00am – but it was enough to change his life forever.

“I got on the subway, and instead of being in my office, I was underground at 8:45am,” he recalls. “(That was) when the first plane slammed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, into my floor, hitting my desk, and killing almost every single member of my group including my boss and team.”

Jaffe himself was also deeply affected. It’s been almost a decade since then, but the survivor’s guilt and trauma has had a lasting impact on him and the thousands of others who lost colleagues and loved ones in the September 11 terrorist attacks. Likewise, the story of Mike Jaffe is just one amongst probably millions who suffer from the aftermath of any death or near-death experiences within the workplace. Following up from such events; and ensuring staff and the business can continue to run and grow, is a key responsibility for any HR department.

When war comes home

Everyone knows a war can be deadly – but did you know the worst damage can hit long after the smoke clears? Indeed, the US military has found that more of its personnel have been lost to psychiatric causes this century than bodily injuries from the war zones of Iraq, Afghanistan and other conflicts. A recent review of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) found that US soldiers deployed to Iraq showed increased levels of the disorder one year after returning home. The US military, along with its UK allies, has adopted a new training programme – Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) – to train key managers to recognise the signs of mental strain and then provide support at the unit-level.

The Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps (UK) says non-medical, mid-level soldiers are trained to assess their colleagues after a potentially traumatic event and look for risk factors. They then provide information on which psychological reactions to expect, give informal support and refer cases to specialist medical staff as necessary. More widely, the (TRiM) initiative aims to change attitudes and stigma associated with mental distress by making it both an acceptable topic and another form of operational training.

There are lessons for civilian HR as well. While death and injuries are common in war zones, no workplace is completely immune to the possibility. HR needs to have a plan for when trauma strikes – and that should look to protect and restore the mental health of staff, whether they have been directly affected by the events or not.

This too shall pass

The first step following a major crisis in the workplace should often be a formal debriefing for everyone involved. Experts recommend this meeting be held within 48 hours, and that a mental health professional be engaged to assist in the process.

The debriefing aims to normalise emotions by helping employees understand some of the reactions they may have, and encouraging them to gain support from each other. Staff are also offered positive and productive coping strategies, and given an opportunity to verbalise their thoughts and feelings. This process of communication, the verbalisation in particular, is vital for employees who don’t cope well when they have to downplay their emotions. It aims to translate the message that this situation, however disastrous it may seem, is temporary.

HR also needs to work quickly with the victims and – where appropriate – their families. Tapan Bhattacharya, senior projects manager, HEC Contracting, Abu Dhabi, says this is particularly important when dealing with the many expatriates that the company employs. The first aim is to give the next of kin the correct information about the incident before the person’s colleagues do. An in-house investigation follows and the reason for the incident is addressed immediately before the work resumes, Bhattacharya shares.

Importantly, HR needs to ensure the prevailing culture is one of openness and transparency. After an incident, staff and their managers can be tempted to cover up or play down the situation, often in the often misguided attempt at safeguarding the wider organisation. But this can have wider implications – in particular, Bhattacharya says it can cause alienation of the workforce and reduce motivation.

In the line of fire (and earthquake)

When it comes to disaster preparation, the University of California’s Berkley campus (UC Berkley) has had plenty of reasons to get organised. It is situated close to the volatile San Andreas fault line and is constantly at risk of earthquakes and mudslides. The wilderness nearby is also regularly prone to deadly wildfires.

It’s therefore interesting to note that the university incorporates mental health issues and responses into its disaster management efforts. Indeed, the campus itself does not necessarily need to be affected for the plans to kick in - many people who work there are often directly affected by these natural disasters, through loss of life, home, and outside businesses. In these cases, the university acts in the same way as if the event had occurred at work.

It seeks to identify those at risk and then follow up with specialist outreach to that person. Faculty and colleagues are also provided with trauma response education and resource materials and asked to take part in an official Critical Incident Stress Debriefing. This, along with subsequent briefings three months, six months and one year after the event, aims to provide a sustained and effective reaction to trauma.

Motivation is critical to get any situation back to normal. Bhattacharya says organisations need to show their workers they are sincere in their promises. “An immediate financial package, bearing of medical expenses and a generous one-time grant in case of fatality go a long way to assure the workers,” he says. “We do have counselling sessions at the team levels as the workers and managers are able to communicate and connect better with each other than anyone coming from far-away corporate head office.”

Violence at work

It isn’t just natural disasters that HR needs to be prepared for. Unfortunately, even in this day and age, workplace violence can still take place – to some tragic extents. Just in August, a disgruntled employee shot and killed eight people, and himself, at the US beer and wine wholesaler where he worked.

Should such an incident occur at the workplace, HR must address it with appropriate measures. But it should also work pre-emptively to reduce the risks of such shocking violence. For instance, UC Berkeley has a specialist Behaviour Risk Assessment team to review threats or concerns about the behaviour of a student, teacher or staff member. Team members are called together as the need arises and aim to prevent tragedies such as the one described above from even being considered. An additional activity is the training of as many faculty and staff as possible about workplace violence, including identifying the behavioural symptoms in colleagues that could be warning signs of potential violence.

The business needs care too

Businesses certainly need to be prepared for the emotional toll that disasters and traumatic incidents can have on staff. But they also need to have a response ready to ensure business continues to run effectively as workers recover. Goh Moh Heng, President of the Business Continuity Management Institute in Singapore, says an effective disaster management plan should certainly address these issues. “When businesses have a sound disaster recovery program in place, the front liners and management are more calm and focused knowing that it’s ‘business as usual’ even in the wake of a disaster,” he says.

“People panic during crisis and disasters. By taking some time at the front end to plan for preventing or minimising traumatic events, and for responding when they occur, much of the negative impact of such events can be mitigated.”