Written by Logan Juliano, PhD
Between January of 2023 and April 2024, over 100,000 Californians have been laid off from work.1 This number fails to include “forced” layoffs, such as return to office mandates, remote work for companies in other states, diminished benefits and accommodations, and reduced work hours. With job insecurity looming across sectors—from fresh graduates to senior product managers—workplace stress is an all-time high.
According to Mariel Buqué, trauma psychologist and author of Break the Cycle, over 70% of people experience trauma during their lifetime. Women, people of color, and those of a lower socioeconomic status are more vulnerable to life’s lesions, so with confidence: more than half of your colleagues are actively working through (or with) trauma. Developing trauma-informed workplace communication addresses presenteeism (doing the bare minimum), smooths operational flows, and creates a more agile working environment for everyone.
This post offers three practical steps for operations and management roles to effectively implement trauma-informed communication practices. But first, let’s establish some terms.
What is Trauma-Informed Workplace Communication?
A trauma-informed workplace integrates policies, procedures, and practices to actively resist re-traumatization.2 Trauma-informed communication considers the impact, timing, and mode of your messages.
In Los Angeles, this means being very aware of where safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, and empowerment has been lacking. With layoffs, sexual harassment, and an ongoing attack on DEI policies work is, unfortunately, a common site of trauma.
Leaders not only can model the kind of communication they strive to implement, they must. Indeed, as SAMHSA has published, decisive leadership in this regard empowers all “to be part of the transformation process can help generate buy-in throughout the organization.”3
Still, implementing change can be difficult, especially when all eyes are on you. After all, if it fails, here the leader stands, alone with their pizza party. Many will discuss the return on empathy, but many more feel swayed by the risk.
Lily Zheng writes “low maturity” organizations that feature non-transparent communication, unclear expectations, a culture of silence, and absent leadership can still improve, and provides implementable ways to improve equity in their book series: Deconstructing DEI and DEI Reconstructed.
Effective leadership is pivotal. But in its absence, everyone at the workplace can contribute to healthier dynamics and happier teams.
Three Ways to Improve Workplace Communication
Give Context for 1:1 Meetings
When I asked the narrative lead of a games studio how to lead more trauma-informed teams, the answer was immediate: give context for 1:1 meetings.
Without context, given the amount of layoffs across media industries, the meeting request can send the person into a spiral. Context can be just a word or two, but more can be helpful.
- “Hi Andrea, would you have time to go over the report draft later this week? The draft is looking really promising and I have a couple ideas on where to take this next. Let me know when would be good for you.”
This message asks for the meeting, gives the topic of conversation, and leaves Andrea with the power to choose when is best for her. It also honors the work she’s done so far and explicitly aims to build on her foundation.
If you are “managing up,” trying to encourage your manager to implement better practices, a request might look like:
- “Hi Juan, I’m available to meet Wednesday or Thursday afternoon. Can you tell me what this might be about? Having this context can help me prepare.”
This answers the ask, asks the question, and states the why. In the response or during the meeting, it is okay to say something like, “Thank you! Having context really helps me show up more fully.” (Especially if managing up, give reason and thanks.)
Lightly-Moderated Watercooler Channels
A lack of shared communication is a well-documented operational misstep. Allow trust and healthy conflict to arise; communication increases commitment and accountability.
Encouraging open communication leads to improved mental health outcomes, greater job satisfaction, and organizational efficiency.4 Patrick Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions of a Team is a classic for turning leadership into a story-driven how-to guide. But here’s the thing: those dysfunctions will not emerge without communication.
Small or large, remote or in-person, non-profit or private, water cooler chatter matters. Be wary of teams that do not talk to each other. Isolated communication is a major red flag. It benefits all for direct colleagues to be in direct communication.
If your team uses something like Slack or Discord, one fix is to have casual channels. The goal is to help people feel comfortable to show up as themselves. After all, who else would be contributing innovative ideas, collaborating effectively, and raising concerns as needed?
Sample channel ideas:
#CatChat
#TVBinge
#QuietCorner
Guidelines can be lightly moderated prompts. For example, every Monday, there could be a new prompt in #TVBinge.
- “What are you watching this week?”
A couple considerations: choose something sustainable and that you feel most can participate in. For example, #QuietCorner might just be a snapshot of lunch on Thursday.
Incorporate Support Structure
Communicate options and benefits (like paid time-off) and encourage people to take it.
Studies have repeatedly shown people can and will overwork, primarily out of fear, despite having benefits like vacation days, sick days, and paid time-off.
If leaders feel they cannot model balance, they certainly can ask if their team is taking it, and how they are enjoying it. They can communicate opportunities for their team to upskill and provide the time and resources to provide it.
If you are new and afraid to ask about the working culture (totally encouraged to do), you might ask something like: “how do you use your paid time-off?”
Framing it as a “how” doesn’t ask “how often” or “when.” It builds a relationship with the other person by finding out a few more details about their life. And it creates a clearer sense of expectations.
Resources
Mariel Buqué’s LinkedIn Learning Course, “Navigating Personal Trauma and Triggers at Work” (if you do not have LinkedIn Premium, you can access it through the Los Angeles Public Library)
Trauma-Informed Los Angeles
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1 2023 Layoffs in California—WARNTracker.com. (n.d.). Retrieved April 25, 2024.
2 Levenson, J. (2017). Trauma-Informed Social Work Practice. Social work, 62 2, 105-113
3 Menschner, C., & Maul, A. (n.d.). Key Ingredients for Successful Trauma-Informed Care Implementation.
4 Johnson, P., & Indvik, J. (1995). Trauma brought into the workplace. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 10, 26-32. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683949510075551.