Trauma: perhaps the most used—if not overused—word across the world today. Talks of ‘collective,’ ‘historical,’ ‘intergenerational,’ and ‘cultural trauma;’ of ‘trauma-informed’ care; and ‘traumatic events’ have flooded national and global discourse in recent years. But what does ‘trauma’ mean, exactly?

As a result of the term’s ubiquitous use in today’s culture, some experts fear that its meaning has been stretched to refer to anything ‘mildly unpleasant.’ Perhaps that’s true. But it seems to be that the opposite has far more often been the case—both historically and contemporarily. For, contrary to popular belief, the term ‘trauma’ does not refer exclusively or statically to an event. Instead, it refers to the combination of the event itself, the experience of the event, and a person’s reaction to the event and experience; making it a much more subjective, and thus broader term.

For the fact of the matter is, what might be a perfectly manageable experience for one person may just as well be an unmanageable, traumatic experience for another. Though there are, of course, risk and underlying factors that can help predict or explain why a person may have a traumatic response to an event or experience, there really is no fair way to dictate what is or isn’t trauma.

With that in mind, while much of the scholarship surrounding work-related (or even general) PTSD focuses primarily on trauma-exposed occupations like military service, law enforcement, emergency medical service, hospital care, and the like, trauma—and the PTSD and other related mental health issues that it can inspire—can happen anywhere, to anyone, across any and all industries.

Active shooter situations are a perfect example of this. Grocery stores. Bowling alleys. Schools. Spas. Though it might be an American epidemic, active shooter situations that have taken place more and more over the last few years perfectly demonstrate how no job is completely shielded against the threat of disruptive, “potentially traumatic” events. Even aside from external factors, every workplace is vulnerable to “potentially traumatic” work events or conditions, ranging from toxic or abusive bosses, conflicts with peers, staff or resource shortages, lack of training or support, to bullying, harassment, and toxic competition.

Though terms and labels may not always fully capture the breadth of traumatic experiences, it nevertheless would serve employers well to familiarize themselves with some of the key terms associated with workplace trauma, namely:

• Organizational stress injury
• Operational stress injury
• Moral injury
• Secondary or vicarious trauma
• Institutional betrayal or sanctuary trauma

It’s these terms that make up the most common types of physically or psychologically traumatic events that may occur in the average workplace. All of the issues just mentioned, for instance, are examples of organizational stressors that may lead to organizational stress injuries like post-traumatic stress or PTSD; whereas operational stress injuries refer to the mental health issues that may result from operational duties, like the PTSD that a police officer may develop from a high-speed chase that nearly resulted in a fatal accident, or the post-traumatic stress that workers might struggle with after witnessing a fatal accident caused by flawed or misused machinery.

Moral injuries occur when one experiences or perceives a violation of their morals, ethics, or values—like from having to perform a task at work that goes against your personal code and causes a great amount of distress. Secondary or vicarious trauma refers to the issues that may occur as a result of indirect exposure to potentially traumatic events—like the retelling of a traumatic incident by a coworker, or from a higher-up during a team- or staff-wide ‘emergency’ meeting to discuss the event, or just the organization’s response to the traumatic incident in general.  And institutional betrayal and sanctuary trauma refer to an organization’s failure to prevent or respond to potentially traumatic events in the workplace, and the mental health complications that may arise from such failure.

Dr. Steven Silver, who coined the term, defines the latter term as trauma that “occurs when an individual who suffered a severe stressor next encounters what was expected to be a supportive and protective environment and discovers only more trauma.”

It’s that last term that makes how an organization responds to “potentially traumatic” events so important: Failing to promptly and appropriately respond to a disruptive event and the trauma that it caused may only beget more trauma.

So knowing what they now know, how can organizations adequately respond to trauma in the workplace? At the end of the day, it starts and ends with creating an agile, trauma-informed wellbeing strategy. And for that, employers need look no further than a holistic wellbeing solutions provider for help.

By enlisting in the help of a holistic solutions provider like WPO, organizations can work with a team of consultants with years of industry experience on a strategy that’s right for them and their people. In the context of trauma and traumatic events, consultants can help organizations effectively prepare for and respond to such disruptions by:

• Reviewing and offering insights into the legislation/regulations surrounding employee wellbeing, psychosocial risks, and employers’ duty of care to address them to craft a comprehensive mitigation plan that is in compliance with provincial or national law and that meets the unique needs of one’s specific workplace;
• Conducting psychosocial risk assessments to identify and evaluate presenting hazards or risks that may cause employes to be emotionally compromised, including their frequency and severity, to inform mitigation planning and strategy development;
• Assessing workforce resilience through digital self-assessments and online surveys to determine how prepared and protected employees are against organizational or external threats to their wellbeing, and using that data to deliver customized training programs to strengthen their resilience;
• Developing successful employee listening strategies and feedback systems that enable employers to encourage and collect actionable, valuable feedback from employees regarding their needs, experiences, concerns, and feelings at work or in the aftermath of disruptive events, in order to establish trust, confidence, and transparency;
• And using the data they collect to help employers construct an enterprise wellbeing strategy suited to address the identified needs, gaps, and threats to the organization

In terms of what specific, trauma-related solutions that might entail, some select solutions may include:

• Rapid Response Critical Incident: a quick-to-operate solution that provides immediate, crisis-informed counseling support in the aftermath of a disruptive incident, which includes on-site and telephonic pathways to experienced trauma counselors who can provide ongoing emotional and practical support to employees and in-the-moment support for managers as both prepare to respond and recover from the event
• Leading in a VUCA World/Manager Assist: solutions which seek to cultivate emotionally intelligent, trauma-aware leaders and managers fit to lead during exceptional times by equipping them with the knowledge and competency needed to understand the signs and symptoms of trauma and other emotional issues and how they present in the workplace; recognize the influence and impact that external and organizational events have on employees and their mental wellbeing; and identify how they can intervene in the most appropriate way
• iConnectYou: a mobile app providing employees with immediate, 24/7 access to professional support via phone, IM, text, or video, which includes broadcast messaging functionality and an “I AM OK” button to confirm safety in the event of an incident
• Rehabilitation: a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to help individuals returning from an extended leave of absence—such as those caused by traumatic events, PTSD, and other related mental health issues; designed to promote a successful socio-professional reintegration by providing personalized psychosocial, physical, and professional support

And of course, there’s the full suite of emotional support solutions that employers can leverage to cultivate resilience in their staff by seeking to build healthy lifestyle habits, healthy coping mechanisms, a positive and adaptable mindset, and strengthened relationships amongst peers—all of which serve as key protective factors against trauma and its impact on mental health.

As 2024 remains no stranger to traumatic events—both nationally and abroad—responding to such disruptions in the workplace is going to continue to play a major role in leaders’ responsibilities. By partnering with WPO, organizations can ensure that they have the knowledge, tools, skills, and information necessary to implement effective response and wellbeing strategies to maintain the health and stability of their employees.