Blog. Support with Traumatic Events in the Workplace.
March 21, 2025 | Author Guest Blogger
Traumatic events in the workplace are challenging to deal with. By their very nature they tend to be unexpected and hard to plan for. They’re not something you expect to face, and it can be hard to know how to respond.
But the effects on employees can be severe. In the hospitality sector, performance depends heavily on the positivity and commitment of key individuals. So the impact of traumatic events on the business can be profound and long-lasting.
While you can’t plan for every eventuality, there’s a huge advantage in understanding how employees are likely to be affected, what symptoms to expect, and the support needed to help people cope and recover their mental wellbeing.
Here, we offer some basic guidance on what to do and how to spot signs that an individual might be finding it hard to deal with what happened. If you have an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) you’ll be able to access more detailed and specific advice and support on how to manage traumatic events.
What Do We Mean by Traumatic Events?
A traumatic event is one where somebody feels that there is a threat to their life, health, wellbeing or even livelihood. The scope is broad. It could be a death, suicide, robbery, fire, violent act, accident or murder.
Trauma could be the result of harassment or bullying or may be triggered by impending business restructuring or redundancies. It can affect people who are indirectly affected by the event as well as those directly involved. The effects can be short-term or longer-term, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Effects Of Trauma.
During the first few days following a traumatic event individuals might experience shivering, confusion, disorientation, tearfulness, inability to speak, feeling helpless, fear and anger.
Sometimes recovery takes a while. In the four weeks following the event recurrent thoughts about the incident are common. People often relive the experience in their mind. They may have nightmares and flashbacks.
As a result, they might avoid places or situations that remind them of what happened. They may become withdrawn. Other symptoms include:
- Headaches, dizziness or nausea.
- Problems with memory loss or thought processing.
- Poor concentration.
- Sleep loss.
People might feel angry, insecure or be in denial about the whole thing. People who were not there at the time or not directly harmed might also experience guilt.
Different teams and individual team members may be affected in diverse ways depending on how directly affected they are by the event.
All these reactions are normal, and they are valid. In most cases these symptoms subside and people return to normal after a brief period, particularly with sympathetic help and support.
Long-Term Effects.
Severe symptoms sometimes last longer than four weeks. Sometimes they emerge several weeks after the event. This could indicate a person experiencing PTSD. For some, transitioning back to normal work may take some time, which may have a knock-on effect for the whole team.
Somebody suffering with PTSD may have recurrent nightmares and flashbacks. Their behaviour might change, making them more irritable, agitated or aggressive, and they could become withdrawn and avoid particular people, places and situations. PTSD often leads to sleep problems and dependence on alcohol and drugs.
There’s a real risk of somebody’s life sliding out of control if the individual doesn’t get the help they need. If employers have a basic understanding of trauma and an easy way to access specialist advice and support, it can help affected staff members recover quickly and prevent problems from escalating.
Helping Recovery.
Helping people get back to normal is clearly important - both for the individuals affected and the business. Team members might need guidance on what to say and how to communicate the way they feel in a healthy way.
Managers have a vital role to play. Here are a few priorities:
- Face reality: something unusual has happened and it’s expected that people will need time and support to recover. There’s no point trying to act as though nothing happened.
- Tell employees what to expect. Discuss common reactions to traumatic events and maybe issue a guidance leaflet. Knowing what to expect can help you make sense of your feelings and deal with them.
- Try to reinstate normal routines and structures as far as you’re able but be prepared to make adjustments on an individual basis.
- Let people talk. Listen without making judgements and recognise that traumatic events affect people in different ways so different types of support will be needed.
- Offer a range of support options. Some people might need a break, your EAP can provide in the moment and signpost others to relevant longer-term support.
- Encourage employees to focus on positive aspects of their life and to take care of themselves through diet, exercise and meaningful activities.
- Maintain professional boundaries and don’t overlook your own support needs.
It is recommended that on-site support is provided at least 72 hours following an incident
The Hospitality Action EAP provides access to onsite trauma support for an additional cost. One of the outcomes of onsite trauma support may be referrals into the EAP service for support from a counsellor which may include referring individuals, where clinically appropriate, to structured counselling support via phone, video or face-to-face of up to eight sessions per individual with HA’s Wellbeing Foundations EAP cover.
A Coping Culture.
The culture you build determines how well your organisation will be able to cope with a traumatic event. You may never need it, but an established process for dealing with major events will allow everyone to understand what to expect and what to do. You can then activate your support and recovery plan immediately after the event through a designated critical incident management team with clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
Having a plan ready to execute will allow more thinking time in the immediate aftermath of an event. It can help avoid instinctive but possibly unhelpful reactions. For example, you might instinctively think that sending people home would be the best course of action, whereas keeping the team together would make them feel less isolated and more able to support each other.
Prevention should also be a focus: creating a work environment that is as physically and psychologically safe as you can make it. Beyond the standard compliance issues such as fire safety, physical security measures such as CCTV and controlled access can make a big difference.
Communication will be a critical part of the support and recovery plan. People will naturally be disturbed and perhaps even bewildered by events. Clear, purposeful communications help to bring a level of much-needed certainty. Showing empathy is vital.
Psychological safety can be improved by taking an active role in helping team members take care of mental health and wellbeing and creating a positive and supportive culture around these issues.
An organisation that’s used to discussing issues like mental health openly will be an environment best placed to recover from traumatic events. Communication around difficult issues is one of the biggest challenges. It’s easier to tackle if it’s already part of your culture.
If you have an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) you will be well placed to get the specialist support your organisation and employees need, from guidance for managers to counselling and psychological support for employees. In a person-centred sector like hospitality this type of support makes a huge difference to everyday performance as well as coping with and recovering from unusual and traumatic events.
Building Resilience
Traumatic events are easier to deal with and recover from if we’re in a good state of mental health and wellbeing to start with. Nutrition, exercise and activities such as meditation and mindfulness all help us cope better with problems and difficulties, as well as the everyday demands of working in a high-pressure sector like hospitality.
The Hospitality Action EAP gives members access to wealth of wellbeing guidance and resources including videos and podcasts to help everyone improve their mental health and resilience.