Trauma

Traumatic incidents in the workplace can occur in any type of business. These can include incidents of deliberate violence that can be a regular risk for employees during their work. This can be known risks related to the job role however more commonly, accidental events can occur that can have a potentially traumatic impact on those involved either directly or indirectly. These events may include unexpected sudden death of colleague or a customer, road traffic accidents, or a fire or other potentially hazardous event.

While traumatic events can be extremely distressing experiences and, in some cases, trigger a post-traumatic stress reaction, most people can be expected to recover over the next few days or weeks without any long-term negative impact on their emotional wellbeing or mental health. This is recognised in National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) Guidelines which advises ‘watchful waiting’ over the first 4 weeks post incident to allow the person the opportunity to adjust to the impact of events. The guideline recommends that support and information provision can be helpful, but any trauma focussed therapeutic intervention should not be provided within this period, to reduce the risk that this might lead to secondary traumatisation.

Employees response to traumatic incidents

Employers must show a duty of care to employees to reduce the risk of injury at work. Following a traumatic event many employers will recognise the importance of responding positively and supportively to employees involved in a traumatic incident as part of their duty of care to employees but also to help minimise the potential impact on the employee’s performance and/or attendance at work.

Supporting employees

Research indicates that managers who provide direct support to employees following a traumatic incident can be of significant benefit. Managers can support their employees by: