Part 1 of Surviving the Storm: Overcoming Trauma & Conflict About Global Warming

As yet another hurricane hits Florida in only a few weeks’ time, it brings up a few topics I think are critical to address.

• How can workplaces support people when they experience traumatic events?
• How do we navigate conflicting beliefs or opinions around major events like Hurricane Milton? Such as, what should people do, how they should feel, the existence of global warming (or the connection to severe whether) (or its impact on the world)?
• How do we make wiser decisions and interact more consciously with each other as it relates to these challenges and their aftermath?

Each of these topics on their own merits a more in-depth analysis and discussion, which I’ve provided links to if you want to dive deeper into these topics. 

However, for purposes of at least considering these critical topics and creating awareness, I will briefly address each of them in this 3-part series over the next few days.

DEALING WITH TRAUMATIC EVENTS

How can workplaces support people when they experience traumatic events?

We know from research that trauma has a lasting impact in the body. My friend and colleague Kara Kalin, CEO of Shiftchange, licensed therapist and EMDR practitioner, often shares with me how important it is to address traumas within the first 90-days to reduce their long-term impact.

Trauma is not what happens to us, but what we hold inside in the absence of an empathetic witness. When we understand how trauma is stored in the brain and body, we realize we can’t out-talk or simply ignore the distress. - Kara Kalin, CEO of ShiftChange

Even though we think we’ve navigated a trauma effectively and come out the other side, the long-term impacts on our bodies can go unrecognized for a long time. 

Historically, trauma has often gone unrecognized or inadequately addressed in both individual and workplace settings. Many organizations lacked awareness of how traumatic experiences impact employees' mental health, performance, and overall well-being.

This lack of understanding has contributed to environments where individuals' needs were overlooked, and trauma responses were either dismissed or misunderstood. Efforts to incorporate trauma-informed care approaches are now becoming more widespread, focusing on safety, resilience, and recovery to create supportive environments in workplaces and other systems (SAMHSA Store)(VA.gov | Veterans Affairs).

If you, your people, or your workplaces are impacted by a traumatic event (major or minor), understanding how it impacts us, what happens if we don’t address it, and what workplaces/leaders can do differently is critically important.

One day, I hope to see workplaces that institute trauma awareness to the same degree (or greater than) they address safety, harassment, and metrics.

LEARN MORE about the impact of Trauma and what workplaces can do. 

Conclusion

Navigating the aftermath of traumatic events like hurricanes and the conflicts surrounding climate change requires a deeper level of empathy, understanding, and conscious communication. 

As we collectively face these challenges, it's crucial for workplaces to adopt trauma-informed care, providing support that goes beyond basic acknowledgment to truly address the long-term impacts on individuals. In a world where opinions about climate change and its effects are often polarized, responding with empathy and compassion rather than judgment helps create a more constructive dialogue.