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Helping Employees During Tough Times
by Gayla Sherry, BOL Guru
According to a recent report from the FBI, bank robberies are on the increase. In some markets, including Los Angeles and New York, armed robberies have increased by 100 percent. The increase is attributed in part to a sluggish economy, but also to more locations of bank branches and extended hours of operation.
With these alarming statistics, we are reminded of the probability of our being victims of a robbery. Of course, it's important to ensure adequate security measures are in place to protect employees and customers during a robbery, and to ensure quick capture of the perpetrator. However, it's also important to consider the effect that such events have on our employees' personal well-being. Whether employees are subjected to violent robberies, bomb threats, terrorist attacks or weather tragedies such as tornadoes, managers and supervisors need to be aware of and observe possible employee reactions. These reactions may be physical or emotional and will likely affect the employees' abilities to think and concentrate as clearly as usual.
A United States Department of Justice report, "How Employees React to Robberies," states that employees' reactions to these events will vary according to the individual. An individual's reactions are affected by a predisposed tendency for handling stress, as well as the personal support system already in place for the individual. Further, the timing of the reactions will likely vary from an immediate response to a delayed reaction. Common emotional reactions include: fear, hyper-alertness, guilt, anger and isolation. In addition, some employees may become more irritable, experience a loss of motivation, show apathy and indifference, and experience chronic fatigue and flashbacks. Some employees may even experience eating disorders as a result of the incident.
The key to helping employees following any type of traumatic incident is to recognize the possible symptoms and address them. One of the most important methods for dealing with the aftermath of a traumatic event for employees is to keep open lines of communication flowing. In most cases, a "debriefing" session immediately following the incident, with follow-up sessions as needed, will help keep communication channels open. During the debriefing, allow employees to discuss their reactions to the incident and how it is affecting them - at work and at home. During these sessions, let employees know that you are interested in how they are feeling and reacting, and provide an atmosphere where employees are not embarrassed or ridiculed for sharing their emotions. These sessions may be conducted by a representative of senior management, an outside facilitator, or a mental health professional.
Of the utmost importance, it is essential that managers and supervisors keep employees updated about the situation, and certainly inform employees before any public information is disseminated to the media. It's demoralizing for employees to read the paper or view television coverage about an incident at their workplace before hearing it directly from senior management.
As employees return to their work responsibilities, it's important that managers and supervisors empathize with the employees' possible emotional reactions. Managers must understand and accept that employees may have a temporary decline in productivity. How long this decline exists will vary according to the individual involved, and certainly cannot be allowed to continue for an extended period of time. However, in the short-term, it is possible that absenteeism and tardiness will increase, as well as emotional symptoms such as forgetfulness and loss of concentration.
If employees do not appear to be healing from the trauma after a reasonable amount of time, it's certainly appropriate to recommend professional help. Many organizations have agreements with local psychologists or counseling services, such as an Employee Assistance Program (EAP.) These professionals can assist the employee with the psychological effects of the trauma.
A good organizational practice to prepare for these events, in addition to security training, is to develop a critical incident management plan. The Human Resources staff can be integrally involved with senior management in anticipating issues that are likely to arise following a robbery or other traumatic event. Common issues include an emergency preparedness plan, maintaining current lists of contact information for employees and immediate family and a media relations policy. By communicating the plan ahead of time, employees will generally be aware of what will happen and when, following a traumatic event.
When preparing a critical incident management plan, it's important to note that not all issues can be anticipated, therefore, it's not possible to prepare all applicable policies ahead of time. Identifying key contacts and key decision makers ahead of time will assist in developing actions for addressing issues as they arise following trauma.
Employees are human beings, and we all react differently to traumatic events. Using common sense, and in many ways, treating employees as we would want to be treated goes a long way toward helping employees through tough times. Through planning, communication, empathy and good decisions, we can help our most valued asset at a time when they need it most.
First published on BankersOnline.com 8/25/03
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