Are trauma-informed workplaces the way forward?

By Wisdom Springs

05 Aug 2021

A senior employee was referred by her employer for coaching to help with her confidence and identification with the term “imposter syndrome”.

She had been considered a high performer but concerns were surfacing about her demeanour and stress levels which were impacting her team and people’s perception of her.

This was an inspired move by the Head of HR who had a hunch that something wasn't quite right. In fact it became a huge turning point in this woman’s life.

It was rapidly apparent that her confidence issues were manifesting as chronic anxiety and in fact she had been doing quite a good job in hiding it’s full effects from her employer.

So after some gentle, compassionate inquiry, it was clear this lady was suffering from what can only be described as a post-trauma response.

A response to an event that had happened in her early twenties.

She was in a steady relationship and unbeknown to her, she was pregnant and found out when she began to miscarry the baby. Her partners response to her “stupidity” and “irresponsibility” was full of rage and shaming. He left her to deal with her pain and loss on her own.

He also vowed that if she ever told anyone, he would deny it. Needless to say the relationship ended.

And she stuck to her vow and never told another living soul what happened. The loss, the pain, the trauma response associated with this event has been with her, in her words “I live with this every single day of my life”.

The real tragedy occurred due to her not being able to process this painful experience in a safe, loving and compassionate way where she could be seen, heard and validated and instead she was chased by the emotional ghosts of this experience for the next 14 years of her life.

It is was not possible for her employer to have known the extent of her anxiety, or the root cause of it, but the Head of HR’s hunch that something wasn’t quite right, was bang on.

So here’s what I urge you to consider:-

Past trauma can have debilitating effects on a person’s wellbeing Which will inevitably affect their performance at work Despite how well they try to hide it Trauma is massively misunderstood. Leading trauma expert Dr Gabor Mate states that “trauma is not what happened to you, but what happens inside of you as a result of the experience”.

Trauma can show up as a result of experiencing war, genocide, violence, sexual abuse or it can be caused by the absence of something that SHOULD have happened but didn’t.

In this case, she had no loving, compassionate support during this painful time for her. Instead she was shamed, ridiculed and threatened into silence. She was only 21 years of age when this happened.

In 22 years of working in HR, the best examples of employee engagement have arisen in companies that truly care about their people and this is a brilliant example of one that did.

And as employers, we can never know what emotional history an employee brings with them BUT, if workplaces, starting with HR functions and Line Managers were at least trauma-informed, what might this achieve?

Might we achieve a more compassionate approach to the human part of work? Might we view “poor” performance, personality conflicts and “bad” behaviour in a different light and instead of rapidly discarding the human, first consider what REALLY might be going on for them?

Then perhaps, disciplinary processes and dismissals would truly be a last resort and employers would not be throwing away otherwise talented humans.

Something to think about it if you have a desire to create a more conscious and compassionate workplace.

Tracey Murphy is an Emotional Transformation Coach who works with individuals and employers to build compassionate, employee-centric cultures that are trauma-informed. more information is available at www.wisdom-springs.com

Enjoyed this? Read more from Wisdom Springs

Latest news

1

Date revealed for opening of entries for Red Rose Awards 2026 Red Rose Awards 2025

Date revealed for opening of entries for Red Rose Awards 2026

14 Jul 2025

2

Northcote celebrates prestigious industry marketing award for the 25th anniversary of Culinary Festival Obsession Northcotes winning awards

Northcote celebrates prestigious industry marketing award for the 25th anniversary of Culinary Festival Obsession

14 Jul 2025

3

Applebridge take over first floor letting at Ackhurst Business Park in Chorley John Kiernan - Construction Director & Paul Troubridge - Project Director; from the Applebridge Family

Applebridge take over first floor letting at Ackhurst Business Park in Chorley

14 Jul 2025

4

Expanding Airframe Designs appoints new advisory board chairman David Roberts and Jerrod Hartley

Expanding Airframe Designs appoints new advisory board chairman

14 Jul 2025

5

Booths win gold at International Cheese and Dairy awards Cheese counter at Booths

Booths win gold at International Cheese and Dairy awards

14 Jul 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
LBV123 July/August Launch Event
Lancashire Business View magazine launch
Networking
16 Jul 2025

LBV123 July/August Launch Event

Burnley College University Courses Building, Burnley, BB12 0AN

08:30 - 10:30

Lancashire Built Environment Conference 2025
BEC 315 X 315 Px
Networking
25 Sep 2025

Lancashire Built Environment Conference 2025

Blackpool Football Club, Blackpool, FY1 6HX

08:30 - 13:00

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

Shaping Preston's future by remembering its past
1750160034867.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
16 Jul 2025 - 16 Jul 2025

Shaping Preston's future by remembering its past

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 20:30

Chamber Summer BBQ
LBV Hub Social
17 Jul 2025 - 17 Jul 2025

Chamber Summer BBQ

The Borough, Dalton Square, Lancaster, LA1 1PP

17:30 - 20:00

Preston Tech Connection: Web3 is Dead. Or is It?
July Longer Banner.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Networking
29 Jul 2025 - 29 Jul 2025

Preston Tech Connection: Web3 is Dead. Or is It?

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 19:30

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: July
Longer July Banner.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Networking
31 Jul 2025 - 31 Jul 2025

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: July

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

10:00 - 11:30

Cumbria Business Expo 2025
https---cdn.evbuc.com-images-880461633-4862066883-1-original.20241022-110415.jpeg.jpg
LBV Hub Exhibitions
19 Sep 2025 - 19 Sep 2025

Cumbria Business Expo 2025

Carlisle Racecourse, Carlisle, CA2 4TS

09:00 - 15:00

North West Business Expo 2025
https---cdn.evbuc.com-images-880456273-4862066883-1-original.20241022-105445.jpeg.jpg
LBV Hub Exhibitions
24 Oct 2025 - 24 Oct 2025

North West Business Expo 2025

Bolton Stadium Hotel, Bolton, BL6 6SF

09:00 - 15:00

Lancashire Business Day 2025
241122lbvlancashiredaylhp0647web
Networking
27 Nov 2025

Lancashire Business Day 2025

Burnley FC , Burnley, BB10 4BX

12:00 - 17:00

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV122 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin