Trauma informed leadership in the workplace to navigate post pandemic employee mental health and wellbeing
What is trauma informed leadership and why do we need it in the workplace?
The impact of 2020 and the ongoing impact of COVID-19 can currently be classified as a “collective trauma.” The term collective trauma refers to the psychological reactions to a traumatic event that affect an entire society. The impact of quarantine, grief, fear, and lifestyle upheaval can take time to psychologically adapt as we adjust to new ways of working or returning to offices. As much as we would love to bounce back quickly everyone has their unique response, An article from Verywellmind states it best saying, “Collective trauma is not always equal. Even within groups, people may be affected and bear the burden of trauma differently. While we may all be weathering the same storm, that doesn’t mean that we are all the same boat.”
Why does this matter for leadership in the workplace?
Because at the end of the day business is personal because you are dealing with other persons. We cannot ignore or push aside the fact that collectively the workforce shifted not only physically but mentally. In a Harvard Business Review conducted study with SAP they found that by April of 2020 42% of employees were reporting a decline in mental health. Good leadership means managing people, and people are struggling.
How can Trauma Informed Leadership help?
Managers certainly do not need to be therapist to manage their team successfully post pandemic. But it is important to be able to understand how trauma works in the body and mind and what that looks like when it shows up in the workplace not only in employees but in themselves! Being trauma informed allows leaders to spot potential signs and responses, and exercise leadership in a compassionate and informed way to help work alongside employees to stay healthy, productive, and engaged. 2021 is calling for a new kind of leader. A trauma informed mindful leader is equipped to set their team up for success through uncertainty and change, supporting the mental health needs of themselves and their teams while strategically managing workflow. Being trauma informed and gaining knowledge and understanding of the different ways people are now operating will help leadership continue to empower and engage their teams!
Where can you learn to be a trauma informed leader?
Zently Workplace founder and CEO, Lisbeth Taylor, has been teaching mindful leadership and studying trauma informed facilitation for the last 4 years teaching to survivors of human trafficking and women recently released from incarceration. Knowing the impact 2020 has collectively has on employee well-being she understands the importance of brining her work in both corporate and community mindfulness together to teach leaders about trauma and how it can impact your people.
Thursday June 17 at 12pm CST, Zently Workplace is holding a trauma informed leadership workshop. Register here: https://zentlyworkplace.hubspotpagebuilder.com/trauma-informed-leadership
