How many people in your workplace do you think have experienced trauma? It might be more than you think. According to Statistics Canada, almost two-thirds of adults in Canada have been exposed to a potentially traumatic event in their life.

Becoming a trauma-informed workplace is just good practice—particularly in healthcare, due to the psychosocial risks inherent to the work. Trauma-informed workplaces recognize the prevalence of trauma and take deliberate steps to create an environment that avoids re-traumatization or further trauma to an employee.  

A trauma-informed approach includes being compassionate while also establishing culture, policies, and practices that recognize and respond to the prevalence of and persistent impact of trauma. The principles of a trauma-informed approach include: 

• Safety (physical and emotional)
• Trustworthiness and transparency 
• Choice 
• Collaboration and mutuality 
• Empowerment 

Strategies for Employers: 

• Educate and train employees to create greater awareness about trauma-informed practice, trauma, and resiliency.   
• Educate, train, and ensure that there are effective workplace practices to support employees in violence prevention, moral distress, and grief and loss.  
• Establish clear reporting channels for reporting harassment, discrimination, or other respectful workplace concerns. 
• Implement workplace initiatives that empower employees and offer them choices and autonomy, as possible. This could include such things as flexible start times or work arrangements, getting input on workplace practices that impact them, or opportunities for skill development. 
• Encourage and support self-care practices

Strategies for Employees: 

• Educate yourself about the impacts of trauma and trauma-informed practice. 
• Report incidents of harassment, discrimination, or other respectful workplace concerns. 
• Take the opportunity to exercise choice and use your voice in your workplace.  
• Normalize conversations about workplace stressors, trauma, and coping strategies.  
• Build personal resiliency by practicing self-care.