After such recent violent incidents in Laguna Woods, Buffalo, and Uvalde, mental health was all affected. Even if you are not physically present, the trauma is still real. Combined with the constant news cycle and the tendency to doomscroll on social media, this can cause stress and anxiety. Violence and trauma Violence causes trauma and toxic stress, which are factors that contribute to mental health conditions. All is not magically removed when we’re working. The author, founder and CEO of nonprofit driving cultural change around workplace mental health, offers five ways for managers and leaders to support their people and themselves through violent, devastating events.
After such recent violent incidents in Laguna Woods, Buffalo, and Uvalde, mental health was all affected. Even if you are not physically present, the trauma is still real. Combined with the constant news cycle and the tendency to doomscroll on social media, this can cause stress and anxiety. Violence and trauma Violence causes trauma and toxic stress, which are factors that contribute to mental health conditions. All is not magically removed when we’re working. The author, founder and CEO of nonprofit driving cultural change around workplace mental health, offers five ways for managers and leaders to support their people and themselves through violent, devastating events.
As a mother of kindergarten and second grade student, the terrible news about the mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas is close to the earth. My second grade boy was close to the school entrance, which worried me more than once this year. Some called it an unimaginable tragedy, but unfortunately, it has become all too imaginable.
It happened on the heels of the Laguna Woods church shooting and the munding massacre targeted at the Black community. The weekend after Uvalde alone saw at least eight mass shootings in the United States. That’s all too much.
After such violent incidents, mental health is all affected. Even if you are not physically present, the trauma is still real. Combined with the constant news cycle and the tendency to doomscroll on social media, this can cause stress and anxiety. Violence and violence violence cause trauma and toxic stress, which contribute to mental health conditions. All is not magically removed when we’re working.
As the founder and CEO of Mind Share Partners, a nonprofit driving culture that is changing around mental health in the workplace, my job is not only to help employers to navigate mental health in the workplace, but also to take care of my team. This is a way managers and leaders can support people and themselves through violent and devastating events.
Acknowledge the tragedy immediately.
It’s important your team hears from you as soon as possible. Simply put, the tragedy of the event is an important step that many leaders fail to take. I slacked my team to share how devastated I was, especially as a mother of two children in elementary school, to convey my sadness about the state of the world in general, and to encourage everyone to do what they needed to take care of themselves and support each other. Make a statement in any communication channel that makes sense for your organization.
Make space for compassionate conversations.
Be deliberately carve out opportunities for one-on-one conversations with the group. First, consider your identity as well as the people to whom you speak. Did you tell team members whose demographic groups became targets of violence? Are you part of a different community that you have recently targeted? Think about how you can adjust your approach accordingly. DEI and related mental health are inseparable, and each tragedy affects us differently based on our intersectional identities. These experiences and emotions can work with us.
When starting a conversation, lead by your own feelings and be vulnerable. Even if you share something small, doing so can make others more comfortable opening. Don’t make assumptions about what your team members feel. Instead, be curious. Pair the observation statement with the open -ended question. In one-on-one, you might say, “I realize that you have a lot of deadlines to juggle in the midst of everything happening. See the article : What Homeowners Think About the Housing Boom.” Follow that up with questions such as, “How can I support you?” Next, be an active listener and gently encourage people to speak back. You can simply say, “Tell me more about that.” Finally, offer validation. Thank you to those who have shared, reinforced their experiences, and offered accommodations and resources if needed.
Depending on the culture of your organization, it may not be appropriate if there is a group discussion. Do it anyway. Try to build a culture of trust and connection over time to make these conversations easier. Make the space as safe as possible. If people are away, proactively give them the option to turn off his video. Despite having a close team, our meeting after Uvalde’s shooting felt quiet, which was partly considered awkward. It’s okay. The most important thing is to appear for your team with compassion and empathy.
Proactively offer specific solutions.
Everyone on your team will likely need or want something different. Some can tell you what it is, but most likely will be afraid to ask or don’t know what is needed or the options are available. In your initial message, suggest that people take the time if they need to, as I do, but follow them up with specific questions and suggestions in your one-on-one conversation. Featuring a menu full of options, ideally including shifting priorities and deadlines, offering flexible working hours, and providing paid time off that isn’t out of people’s vacations or sick days. Read also : East Baton Rouge Parish Receives $ 1 Million for New Mental Health Initiative. We also decided to give everyone half a day off, which in retrospect should probably have long given the weight of the world. All of this avoids putting a burden on your employees to ask or create solutions that they don’t have. It also avoids making assumptions about what people need. For example, at least one of my team members usually finds the job to be a positive distraction at a challenging time.
Remind everyone about your company’s mental health benefits. Frankly, this should be the stakes of the table because employees often will not reap the best benefits if a culture that supports mental health does not exist. In fact – and in particular – as a mental health organization in the workplace, we consider all of our mental health benefits, and our team leaders offer to help anyone who has navigation problems. Ideally, your plan would have a culturally competent provider.
In addition, share other resources that are available – inside and outside your organization. Resource groups of mental health employees and other types of peer groups can offer the peer support needed for specific communities. In the past few years, Partners Share Thoughts unfortunately had reason to manage many of the articles, organizations, and resources we share widely, including in the face of mass shootings and war in Ukraine, as well as resources for Black, AAPI, and LGBTQ+workers. violence and discrimination against this group.
Continue to fight against stigma.
An unfortunate side effect of the mass shooting is that many are quick to blame them on the mental health challenges that the perpetrators suspect. That could not be further from the truth. According to MentalHealth. Read also : Amber Cahill cited Bloomberg American Health Initiative trends.gov, “only 3% to 5% of violent behavior can be attributed to people living with serious mental illness. In fact, people with severe mental illness are more than 10 times more likely to be victims of violent crime. Many Another factor is a predictor of violence against others.
To repeat: Mental health challenges certainly do not cause the heart.
Using mental health challenges as a scapegoat for gun violence has devastating side effects exacerbating stigma and leading fewer people to seek treatment. Make sure that your employees know that mental health challenges are common – almost all of us will experience a diagnosable mental health condition at some point in our lives, whether we know it or not.
If you haven’t already, invest in mental health training in the workplace with a proactive, preventive lens for leaders, managers, and individuals. This should allow for establishing levels of what mental health is and is not, how it appears in the workplace, and how to address workplace factors that can contribute to poor mental health. Tools and strategies on how to navigate mental health in the workplace, such as how to identify vulnerabilities, have difficult conversations, and create an inclusive and sustainable culture, are ultimately the practice of managers with mental health and DEI angles.
Don’t forget to take care of yourself and your own mental health at work.
A few years ago – even before the pandemic – there were many. Although it is a privilege to be of service during this challenging time, it is also exhausting and a heavy burden to carry while simultaneously processing feelings, regrets, and upset. I’m tired.
I know that many leaders, educators, therapists, health workers, and many more can be related. My psychiatrist always reminded me that I should see my job as a marathon, not a race. After all, if I burn out or have an episode of debilitating anxiety or depression, where will that leave my efforts at social change?
As you support your team, make sure you also support yourself. An added bonus is that a mentally healthy behavior model will also help your employees. Just as there is no one right way to feel after a violent incident right now, there is also no one right way to take care of yourself. I’m often relatively hard after a tragedy, despite the softness of making sure that my boys and team members are okay. For me, self -care is usually basically such as adequate sleep, keeping regular therapy appointments, talking with friends, and watching good TV shows.
The quote from Mr Rogers was always giving me some comfort: “When I was a kid and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Find that helping. You’ll always find people who help.'”
Please be a helper. Take care of yourself and your team now and every day, whether there is a tragedy or not. Really ask how they do and become vulnerable again. Give yourself time to report directly and move priorities and meetings if needed. And don’t forget to check your leaders as well – we’re all just human and do our best to kick.
