Strategies
Advancing trauma-informed approaches among staff benefits employee well-being, job performance, and quality of care outcomes. Employers in many sectors and industries are adapting a wide range of supports and strategies in recognition of the effects of on-the-job toxic stress.
Here are some examples of approaches that support workforce wellbeing:
Supportive Supervision
Supportive supervision is “the mechanism of providing both technical and emotional assistance to staff on an ongoing basis” (Abujaber et al., 2022). When supervisors are trained and competent in understanding trauma, resilience, compassion fatigue, and secondary traumatic stress, supportive supervision can be a pillar of a trauma-informed approach.
Professional Quality of Life (PRoQOL) Health
The PRoQOL Health is a strengths-based measure developed specifically for the healthcare workforce working in difficult circumstances. This self-administered tool, with supporting guidance, is designed to help healthcare staff improve their wellness practices, emotional health, and overall well-being. The tool is free and may be downloaded at proqol.org.
Stretch and Flex
Many companies across various industries and sectors have adopted a ten-minute stretch and flex practice at the beginning of shifts, often incorporating short deep breathing practices. This kind of routine is shown to reduce employee injuries and fatigue. Stretch and flex also teaches replicable personal wellness skills and normalizes the use of these skills throughout the workday. The OSHA online training store offers a low-cost lamented stretch and flex poster that could be used as a guide.
Employee Assistance Program
Typically, very few employees utilize their employer’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for support due to lack of awareness, trust, and understanding (Albrecht, 2014; Choltz & Wagner, 2021). Address these common barriers by
- Promoting your EAP program broadly and frequently
- Explaining EAP benefits, privacy, and confidentiality
- Reinforcing that EAP does not report back
- Offering EAP to full-time and part-time employees as well as family and household members