The Overlap Between Trauma Informed Care and HR

Frankly, no one wants to hire survivors who don’t have their sh** together--and you can understand why not when you think about the impact of trauma on communication, emotional regulations, and judgment.

No one wants to turn their workplace into a mental health counseling center, either. (Let’s not talk about the number of CEOs who have serious issues, OK?). EAPs are great, and sometimes folks don’t want to use them. Repairing employees' psyches is usually not one of the purposes of the workplace.

HR does its' best to screen out people who really don’t need to be in the workplace, too. It works most of the time. The problem is that everyone has a history of being overwhelmed (traumatized), and everyone inherits the impact of their ancestors' experiences. The people who are screened in are often in as much distress as the ones screened out.

In the world of all things trauma-informed, the skill development that is impaired focuses on being able to regulate emotions, recognizing subtle cues in social settings, recognizing choices and their potential consequences, and managing the challenging memories that come with their histories. These are all normal, neurobiological consequences.

Your L&D, training or talent development function can do wonders here.

The one set of skills that can make a difference, especially when you deliver them through a trauma informed and trauma responsive lens, are the skills in Emotional Intelligence (EQ). They don’t require a diagnosis, and people value them because they help with career success, earning more money, and better relationships. It’s easy to build reward and loyalty systems around them.

Is your L&D function teaching trauma responsive EQ? It’s the realm of personal and professional development that can set your organization apart in the best way.