Ask Ron Besuijen - How do great leaders support recovery after traumatic events?

Ron's Response:

Leadership plays a pivotal role in trauma recovery, and this role can either aid or hinder recovery. Trauma, particularly in high-risk industries, requires careful, empathetic leadership to ensure the emotional and psychological well-being of employees.

As a simulator trainer I have heard many stories about stressful incidents operators have been through and how it affected them. Some of these I will never share as they are very personal. It has been very rare that there was no regret and that they did not spend a great deal of time rehashing the event. Trying to figure out what they could have done to manage it better.

In a healthy culture this will happen naturally and likely openly sharing what they may have learned. Leadership will support debriefs after incidents, encourage open communication about mental health and offer psychological support services when appropriate.   In an unhealthy culture difficult conversations will be avoided, individuals will be blamed for incidents, and a culture of fear will be fostered. The benefit of anything learned will not be shared.

The HOP principles are some of the best that I am aware of for addressing incidents. See https://www.hophub.org/

Leadership’s response can have a large impact on how employees move through a traumatic event. I use the term employees because it usually is not just operations involved in an incident. A leader may believe they will be reprimanded if they are not seen as doing something to prevent a recurrence. This is more pronounced when the company’s goal is zero incidents (this is a discussion by itself). How a leader responds to an incident has a large impact on how the employee moves through trauma. It can also influence whether it becomes a disorder.

In the control system failure incident, I was involved in 25 years ago, the blame was placed on my leader for allowing the work to go ahead. To his credit, he never mentioned it to us or blamed us. We did a good enough job blaming ourselves. On the other hand, there was no follow up with how the incident impacted those on shift that day. This left us wondering.

The first step of leadership is not to make the problem worse. Below are ways Leadership can support those working through traumatic events:

• Acknowledge the issue: Acknowledge that PTSD is a serious concern, particularly in high-risk industries like petrochemicals. Leaders must set the tone by normalizing conversations about mental health.
• Provide support and understanding: Leaders can refer employees to company support programs. Leaders must create an environment where workers feel comfortable discussing mental health challenges without fear of retaliation or stigma.
• Foster a culture of safety: Create an environment where employees feel comfortable discussing safety concerns and that their concerns will be addressed.
• Offer training for managers: Provide training for supervisors on ways to support employees and to recognize symptoms of PTSD.

I will conclude by encouraging leaders to view trauma recovery not as an isolated issue but as an ongoing process that requires continual learning, empathy, and support. Create a culture where recovery from traumatic events is not only supported but actively facilitated.