Leading with passion and a trauma-informed approach is a necessity in a world where experiences are getting more intense.
In recent years, the world has been anything but stable. We’ve faced a pandemic, wars, economic crises, and environmental disasters. And these headline-grabbing events are just scratching the surface. People are also dealing with a host of personal scale struggles like domestic violence, racism, or harassment.
Many traumatic experiences go unnoticed in the workplace, as people are hesitant to talk about them, let alone confide in their employers. Business leaders must nurture a culture of compassion and wellness to effectively support teams during crises.
Holistic wellness goes beyond mental health. It encompasses mental exercises, nutrition, and self-care activities, among other things. Embracing diverse wellness strategies is crucial for trauma-informed organizations to create a supportive environment that addresses the complexities of trauma.
If you think your business is prepared for any crisis, think twice
You might think that you’re well-prepared for any crisis as a post-COVID business. However, statistics paint a different picture: PWC reveals that 95% of business leaders recognize that their crisis management capabilities need to be improved.
As someone whose global business is headquartered in Kyiv, Ukraine, I can speak from firsthand experience that leaders shouldn’t put crisis management plans on the back burner. Nor should those plans be hastily thrown together, hoping you’ll never need them.
In crisis management, leaders should become pillars of strength and confidence. This mindset propelled BetterMe to not only survive, but to thrive. The war became a catalyst for our growth. Our success is primarily due to our resilient team, which has found ways to cope with traumatic stress and emerged stronger than ever.
We’ve already learned to navigate trauma at the workplace, a journey that many businesses are just embarking on. I’m eager to share what helped us through the process.
Why it’s paramount for businesses to be trauma-informed
Rough estimates suggest that around 6 out of every 100 people in the U.S. will have lived through a traumatic experience at some point in their lives. Remember that not everyone chooses to talk to a specialist, and you’ll understand these figures are likely underestimated.
Certain triggers reminiscent of a past traumatic event or simply job-related stress can set off trauma symptoms. The adverse effects are bound to spill over into the workplace in one way or another.
For some, this might mean a bad day at work. For others, it may cause more serious changes in behavior that get in the way of their ability to thrive professionally. Usually, employees’ productivity, focus, motivation, and capacity to work as a team bear the brunt. By extension, the overall success of the business comes under threat.
Most people crave stability, especially during turbulent times when their sense of security is challenged. In their personal lives, things like power outages due to air raids or social distancing from their loved ones can feel overwhelming. This is when the workplace can become a comfort island amid the chaos where your team members feel they still have control over their actions and outcomes. Implementing the core principles of a trauma-informed approach can definitely help create stability.
Core principles of a trauma-informed workplace
Here are a number of principles that helped inform BetterMe.
- Acknowledgement and empathy
A leader’s first step is to acknowledge the situation. Whether through an email or an all-hands meeting, the priority is to set the facts straight.
During external crises, leaders might underestimate the importance of speaking up internally. Prompt and ongoing communication is vital even if you don’t have any new details to share. Edelman’s 2023 Trust Barometer report highlights that people tend to trust their CEO over the government and media. More often than not, your employees will look to you for guidance and rely on your messaging.
Showing empathy through both words and actions is also crucial. Think mental health support, more flexible work schedules, regular check-ins, to name a few. In the first days of the full-scale invasion, we helped relocate our employees and their families to safe locations. We also introduced regular informal meetings to help the team find relief in enjoyable or educational activities such as yoga, online fitness classes, or time-management workshops.
- Transparency
Transparency is the foundation of trust, plain and simple. Your team can usually tell when you’re sugarcoating, downplaying, or hiding the truth. Even tough changes like downsizing or pay cuts are better received when you do them transparently.
A great example is how Airbnb’s CEO Brian Chesky handled significant layoffs in 2020. He openly explained the business reasons behind the decision, selection criteria, and support plans for departing staff. At BetterMe, we ensured transparency by holding meetings with the entire team, where we discussed potential risks, revisited business objectives, and analyzed the results.
- Accountability
Challenges triggered by a crisis do not justify a drop in business standards. And it’s the leader’s responsibility to communicate this. Set clear expectations, describe responsibilities, and refine KPIs to align with new working conditions. Let the team know their roles during a crisis are more significant than ever.
However, accountability is about more than what you expect from your employees. It’s about demonstrating it in your own work. A big part is creating an environment where your employees have all the necessary resources to continue delivering quality work.
Reinforcing accountability boosts operational efficiency and cultivates a sense of purpose and commitment, especially during challenging times.
As personal and work life become increasingly intertwined, companies are in dire need of leaders who can recognize and address the profound impact of traumatic experiences. We must find ways to figure out how to stand by our teams and support them through trauma in the best way possible.
Victoria Repa is founder and CEO of BetterMe.