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Workplace Trauma, The Day After A violent incident at work can last only seconds, but employees need more time to deal with their reactions.
The examples used in this article are fictitious and based on the writer's experience with workplace trauma. Any similarity to actual situations is purely coincidental.
Debra, Christine and Paul work at a small fast-food chain. Shortly after 9 p.m. they are preparing to leave. Suddenly two men wearing masks and brandishing a knife and a sawed-off shotgun appear before the frightened employees.Debra is instructed to open the timed safe while one of the assailants holds a knife at her throat. Christine and Paul are held back by the other masked man who threatens them with the shotgun.
The employees are forced to wait 20 minutes while the safe opens. The minutes seem like hours to the employees who feel that each moment could be their last.
When the robbers have filled their duffel bag with the money they tell the employees to lie on the floor. As they are leaving, one of the men yells out to the group that he will kill them it they try to call for help.
Gerry Smith, the Trauma Response Director at WarrenShepell Consultants Corporation, a firm that provides Employee Assistance Programs and Trauma Response Services to more than 1,000 corporate clients, says that situations like this occur in restaurants, banks, convenience and other stores, essentially any place where money changes hands.
But Smith cautions that money is not the only motivation for violence that erupts in the workplace. Other kinds of organizations are also experiencing situations that are violent, sudden and unexpected.
Michael and Brian work side by side on the shop floor of a furniture manufacturer. They have known each other for many years and are considered by colleagues to be good friends.
Over the past week the two have barely said a word to one another. This morning Brian took the spindle he had just completed and struck Michael over the head seven times. Other workers in the area looked on helplessly as blood spurted from Michael's head and Brian continued to beat him with brutal force.
Eventually two employees wrestled Brian to the ground and disarmed him. It was later revealed that Michael had had an affair with Brian's wife.
HR specialists are often given the responsibility to repair the damage left after situations like these. It is important for those in charge to be prepared when the unexpected happens.
Who Will Be Affected By The Trauma?
When a violent incident occurs, our main focus naturally shifts towards the victim; the person who was directly involved and who was at the greatest risk for harm. Next, we are concerned for those who may have witnessed the violence and how they may be reacting. But if we stop here we fail to help others who can have even stronger reactions to the incident than those directly involved.
"These reactions are found not only in persons present or immediately involved in the trauma but in those who manage, those who are close to the victim(s), or those who work in the same building or a similar industry," says Smith. "For example, a convenience store manager in B.C. may experience trauma reactions after hearing about the robbery and fatal shooting of a convenience store clerk in Quebec."
How Will Employees React?
The initial reactions to a traumatic occurrence are shock, disbelief and denial. These are reactions over which a person has little or no control. After these initial reactions a person is overcome by many different and often conflicting emotions-anger, fear, frustration, confusion, guilt, grief, sorrow; physical reactions include being edgy or suspicious and experiencing exhaustion and sleeplessness; cognitively, people may experience concentration problems, short-term memory lapses, difficulty making decisions and poor attention span.
What To Do Now and In The Future?
Immediately following a traumatic incident it is important to focus on ways to restore the sense of safety and security for employees. The most common reaction to a violent incident is shock, and an employee may wander aimlessly or express a desire to return home to be with loved ones.
If the organization can allow the option to return home it should, but it is important to ensure the employee's safety even in this measure. For instance, if the employee's home is far away, he or she plans to drive there alone or no one will be at home when the employee arrives, it may be a good idea to re-examine this approach. Perhaps a co-worker could drive with the employee, or he or she could stay with a friend.
When the initial shock has worn off, other reactions begin to surface. At this point, organizations should provide debriefing sessions for their staff. As discussed earlier, these reactions are often confusing or contradictory and may seem totally unrelated to the traumatic event.
A debriefing session should take place a day or two after the incident. As Smith explains, these sessions allow employees to discuss the traumatic event in detail so that they can understand the normalcy of their reactions and why and how to assist in their own recovery. When employees are able to meet as a group the development of an on-going peer support network ensues.
Organizations should also be prepared to address the safety concerns of staff. Employees will want to know what will be done if situations like the one they experienced happen again. Management must answer these questions honestly and may have to act on demands for changes to improve employees' sense of security.
Generally, reactions to trauma diminish with time and people will report feeling more 'like themselves' again in a couple of weeks. However, it is normal to experience a resurgence of feelings when reminded of the traumatic incident; for instance on the anniversary of the event, when there is interest from the media, a court case or news of a similar situation.
Many people recognize that these things have triggered the original trauma but those that don't may be concerned about the way they are feeling. Counselling may be useful to employees in this case or for those whose reactions have not subsided.
How Can Organizations Help Themselves?
Organizations need to look at ways to prevent violence from occurring in the workplace but when disaster strikes they should get help from their EAP or an outside source that specializes in trauma response, says Smith.
'If you have an EAP provider, see if they can offer this service. If not, a number of external services can help you,' he says. 'Whoever you choose, make sure that they are experienced and certified. If you need to provide services in several locations across the country, you should look for a provider that is able to respond to your needs on a national level.'
The Cost of Inaction
Dr. Warren Shepell, the president and founder of WSCC, says that the well-being of employees is not the only reason for companies to insist on swift action after a violent incident. Failing to act can result in substantial financial losses for an organization as well.
'After violent incidents, companies will often report such things as increased absenteeism, low productivity, customer complaints or a decrease in customer service and, in some extreme cases, long-term disability claims and lawsuits. All of which translate into lost revenue,' warns Shepell.
Every employer hopes that violent situations don't visit their workplace, and certainly preventative measures will go a long way in reducing the risk of this happening. It would seem, however, that incidents of violence are on the rise.
As Smith reports, 'we have seen a dramatic increase in the number and severity of violent incidents over the past two years and, unfortunately, few organizations are prepared for the traumatic impact that these have on their employees.'
Responding quickly and effectively will help employers fulfill their legal obligations while controlling the financial impact that these incidents can have on daily operations. Equally important, employees will receive the appropriate support to speed their recovery, the effects of which, unaided, can sometimes last a lifetime.
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