How to Become an Empathetic Workplace
Trauma is a thing. We can ignore it. We can be in denial. Yet, one glance at current research (link) shows more than a simple uptick in mental health challenges post 2020. And because most of us in the world spend much of our week at our workplace, it is vital to examine whether or not our work-environment is emotionally safe.
There is a term in the trauma-informed care circles called “felt safety.” Felt safety is measured by the feeling of being emotionally safe, usually reflected in an individual’s past experiences or trauma. We may have locks on the doors and security systems on our buildings. We might conduct fire drills twice a year. These measures help us to be physically safe at our workplace. However, the emotional reality of our place of employment may be altogether different.
You are invited into curiosity in these moments. Below are 3 ways to know if your workplace is trauma-informed —and to be aware of what it means to feel safe. One of the measurable ways to know this is through a company-wide trauma-informed assessment, which will be available through James Trail in the coming months. Let’s get started:
Employees feel relaxed and emotionally safe at work, and in the working environment (virtual or otherwise). Questions to consider: do employees feel like just a “number” to the leadership? Does the work force create a team environment, where new ideas are welcomed? Does the work culture allow permission for individuals to have an occasional bad day?
Leadership proves they hear, see, and care for their employees by providing trauma-informed workshops at least twice a year. Companies - both for-profit and nonprofit - have done a much better job caring for employees overall by using information from assessments like the Enneagram, Myers-Briggs, the DISK profile, and Strength Finders, etc. Yet, even as I tip my hat in your direction, there is a gaping hole of need. Being blind the affects of trauma on our mental health hurts the company, and the individual. However, awareness brings empathy and patience into the workplace. This kind of awareness requires training from experts like those of us at James Trail. It requires starting safe conversations that lead to understanding. Hosting employee-focused trauma-informed workshops is the Next Big Thing for companies of any size. Leaders: show your staff that you see their emotional health as just as important as their physical health…and you will have staff that not only performs better, but staff that will stick around year after year.
Your company, from the top down, recognizes and values over-comers. An over-comer is someone who has faced major life challenges, and continues to rise up, stand up, and show up. They are a positive lot, and they know that their bad experiences have made them stronger. Past adversity should not bring judgment to one’s character, but instead, empathy to one’s reactions and behaviors.
“We may have locks on the doors and security systems on our buildings. We might conduct fire drills twice a year. These measures help us to be physically safe at our workplace. However, the emotional reality of our place of employment may be altogether different.”
Trauma is a thing. A real issue. Addressing it inside the work environment takes courage. Courage to be curious about the layers of employee health we don’t like to talk about. Yet, starting these conversations is what we must do. James Trail is here to educate with expertise, empower with understanding, and empathize with care.
Felt safety is, at its core, subjective and individual to each person. Creating a work environment where employees feel safe is not only vital to the company’s health, but more importantly, it is vital to the health of the company’s most valuable asset: its people.
Drop us a line today to get started.
