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Actions to help manage trauma
- Be aware of what triggers you. Becoming more aware of these triggers can make it easier for you to address them, prevent them or come up with steps you can take when they occur. Make note of the triggers, like:
- Actions
- Words
- Smells
- Sounds
- Tastes
- Situations, and/or activities
- Be aware of what grounds you. Create a list of actions or activities that can help ground you when you feel triggered. Share your list with people in your personal and professional life who can help you if you become triggered.
- Don’t feel pressure to share. Sometimes you may feel compelled to explain yourself by sharing the details of your trauma. This could trigger past traumas for you. Try these responses if you feel pressured to share your traumatic experience:
- “Thank you for your concern. It isn’t helpful for me to talk about. I’d appreciate you supporting me by...”
- “It can be harmful to share that information. It’s something I feel more comfortable doing with a trained professional I trust. What I need in this moment is…”
- “I feel triggered right now. I’d like to take a break so I can go somewhere quiet and ground my thoughts.”
Managing trauma at work
- Have a safe room. Ask your leader, human resources or your organization’s wellness team if there’s an available “safe room” in your work environment. This room should be a quiet, private place where you can decompress, ground yourself and relax if you feel triggered at work. If you work from home, travel for work or work on the road, think about how you can create your own safe space.
- Know who you can contact for support. Work with your leader, wellness group and human resources to compile an employee resource list. Include the names, locations and contact information for organizational and community resources that can support you. Then, reach out to some of the resources so you understand what they can offer you and what the experience might be like. This can make it easier to reach out for support when you feel triggered because you already know what to expect.
Ways to get support when managing trauma at work
- Share your connections. Identify a trusted individual outside of work who can help if you become triggered at work. This person may be a family member, friend or close community member. Give your leader, a co-worker or someone from human resources their contact information and ask them to reach out to this person if you need support.
- Offer permission to act – if you’re comfortable doing so. Give your co-workers permission to engage with you and to support you if they notice a behaviour change or if you’ve been triggered. Give them the words they can say in the moment so you’re aware they’re trying to help, rather than judging. This phrase could be something like:
- “How are you doing today?”
- “I’ve noticed a change in your behaviour today. How I can support you?”
- “I see you’re upset. I’m here to support you. What do you need right now?”
- Frequent check in with your leader. These one-on-one check-ins | PDF can run 20 to 30 minutes. They’re meant to support your well-being at work and help you complete assigned tasks. During this conversation, your leader can ask you:
- “How are you today?” This question can help your leader understand how you’re feeling. It will also build a baseline so the leader can notice changes in your behaviour more quickly and step in to support you.
- “What challenges or frustrations are you dealing with right now? How could we resolve them?” This is a chance to share what’s challenging you at work, so you don’t feel stuck or overwhelmed. Tell your leader how they can help. It might be with specific actions. Or perhaps you need encouragement and someone to help keep you on track.
- “What’s something you feel proud of this week?” End the conversation on a positive note by reflecting on something that made you feel good.
- If it occurred at work, reach out. Request your leader, wellness group or human resources meet with you to discuss :
- Actions that have been taken to prevent the incident from happening again.
- How to adjust your job to protect you from experiencing the incident again – if it can’t be prevented
- Whether it’s better for your well-being to move into a different role within the organization or elsewhere and what you need to do that
Share this with anyone that may be dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Additional resources
- Grief response for leaders. Learn how to support your employees who are dealing with loss while at work. Effective strategies can help grieving employees remain productive while they heal.
- Impairment and addiction response for leaders. Use this information to help identify the signs of impairment and respond effectively. These strategies can also help accommodate an employee’s return to work after treatment.
- Leader support for newcomers. These strategies can protect psychological safety for employees who are new to the country. Learn about the value immigrants can bring to your workplace and how to support their needs.
- Trauma in organizations. Help prepare leaders and employees to respond to traumatic incidents at work. Plan ahead to help reduce negative mental health effects.
- Violence response for leaders. Ask the questions to assess an employee's propensity for violence in the workplace. Consider recommending the employee see a trauma counsellor.