DEEP DIVE/GUEST POST: Navigating Collective Trauma in the Workplace

Collectively your team has individual issues. Here’s how self-regulation and coregulation can help you help your team.

May 31, 2024

Picture this: you're in a meeting with your team in person for the first time in over a week. Each team member is grappling with their own issues. Given their long commute, one is vocally angry about management’s decisions requiring in-office presence. Another is caring for a sick parent, constantly interrupted by texts from caregivers and worried about the financial burden it's inflicting on their family. A third is heavily immersed in following current events at home and abroad, constantly triggered and outraged by images of violence and oppression in the news, and eager to vent to and with colleagues. Yet another has a teenager whose depression and anxiety haven’t eased since the pandemic and has been in and out of intensive treatment.

You’re aware of the load your team members carry at home and work, so you begin the meeting using a company-sponsored tool to lead a 1-minute silent meditation designed to calm everyone's nerves. As the meeting progresses, however, it’s clear that everyone is reverting to the state they walked in with, despite your efforts. Some are agitated and vocal; some tune out, and tensions rise. Frustrated, you struggle to rein in the meeting and fight your own urge to daydream about your next vacation.

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Once we understand the general state of well-being at work, define trauma and its responses, and learn key steps to address our own and our team’s collective trauma with self-regulation and coregulation, we can turn the all-too-familiar scenario above around.

As we navigate the post-lockdown reality, we are all grappling with burnout, change fatigue, and heightened political stress, which have significantly affected our health and productivity. Despite all the efforts to understand and address well-being at work, we are still falling short of a solution. A recent report on workplace mental health by Lyra Health reveals that while 84% of HR and benefits leaders feel they prioritize mental health, only 47% of employees believe this to be true. Moreover, 55% of U.S. employees are unsure if leadership understands their mental health needs, and 41% feel their employer doesn't care about their mental well-being.

Alethea Varra, PhD, senior vice president of clinical care at Lyra Health, highlights how daily frustrations morph into deeper dysfunction that resembles a crisis. "It goes from being 'I'm burned out and stressed' to 'I'm really worried about my family, and I'm worried about myself. And I may be coping with that in ways that are not helpful, like drinking more, or using substances, or feeling more hopeless about my future.'"

With 2024’s approaching elections, worsening global conflicts, and the deja vu of a summer COVID surge, the situation is unlikely to improve on its own. The effects of the collective trauma we've experienced and the likelihood that more will follow don't bode well for positive change.

Defining “trauma”

Trauma deeply impacts our nervous system, triggering fight, flight, or freeze responses. When we perceive a threat, real or imagined, our autonomic nervous system kicks into gear, preparing us to fight the danger, flee from it, or freeze in place. In the workplace, this might manifest as increased aggression and conflict (fight), avoidance and disengagement (flight), or feeling stuck and helpless (freeze). While adaptive in the face of immediate danger, these responses can become chronic and maladaptive when stressors are ongoing and unresolved.

Researchers Peg Duros and Dee Crowley describe trauma as "what happens to a person where there is either too much too soon, too much for too long, or not enough for too long."

Expert Deb Dana explains that navigating daily stressors in the midst of trauma, which she calls "autonomic navigation," can push our nervous system away from connection and creativity and toward survival. In this context, it's clear that we are not just off-balance; we are overloaded by individual and collective trauma, leading to a dysregulated nervous system that can impede our ability to connect, communicate, and collaborate effectively in the workplace.

Step 1: Focus on self-regulation

The answer to addressing wellbeing at work extends beyond mindfulness apps and mental health days to a concept called self-regulation. If you want to create calm and connectedness in others, and effectively guide your team through challenging times, you must first attend to your own emotional well-being. Acting from unregulated flight, fight, or freeze responses can perpetuate a cycle of dysregulation within a team, undermining trust, communication, and productivity.

Self-regulation involves recognizing and managing your emotions and stress responses, setting a foundation of stability and resilience that enables others to do the same.

Understanding your states

The first step in effective self-regulation is understanding your emotional and physiological states. This involves noticing your reactions in both fight/flight and freeze modes and recognizing when your nervous system shifts toward these states. It's easy to go on autopilot and forget to pay attention to our reactions to the micro-moments of our day. Become aware of your autonomic state through regular check-ins. Schedule time to jot down notes about how you're doing throughout the day using tools like the How We Feel app to monitor your emotions and observe patterns over time. The RAIN approach by Tara Brach is another great tool. It follows four steps:

1. Recognize: Acknowledge the presence of a strong emotion or challenging situation.

2. Allow: Let the experience exist as it is without attempting to change or resist it.

3. Investigate: Explore what the emotion feels like in your body, noting any associated sensations, thoughts, and feelings with curiosity and compassion.

4. Nurture: Offer yourself kindness and self-compassion in response to these observations.

Familiarizing yourself with triggers and anchors

To maintain emotional balance and resilience, it is crucial to familiarize yourself with your triggers (events or circumstances that provoke a strong emotional response) and anchors (practices or reminders that help return you to a grounded state). This awareness is foundational for operating within your "window of tolerance"—a state of being where you feel calm, creative, and connected, which allows for peak functioning.

Enhancing your resilience

Enhancing your capacity to stay within your window of tolerance involves regularly practicing grounding and mindfulness exercises. These help stabilize your emotional state and improve your flexibility and clarity in responding to stress. Here are three methods for building safety for your nervous system.

Practice getting grounded: 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding: To bring yourself back to the present and alleviate anxiety, identify five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.
Extend compassion: Developed by Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer, Mindful Self Compassion encourages treating yourself with the compassion you would offer a friend. During stressful moments, practice:

- Mindfulness: Recognize your suffering and label the emotion.

- Common humanity: Remind yourself difficulty is part of life, shared by all.

- Self-Kindness: Consider what you need in the moment and offer it to yourself, whether it's comforting words or a supportive action.

Connect with Nature: It's unsurprising that nature can help us get and stay regulated. In fact, natural environments and fractals—patterns that repeat in nature, like the arrangement of leaves or the spirals of a shell—have been proven to be inherently soothing. Integrate fractals into your daily environment through screensavers, photos, or natural objects, enhancing your connection to nature and boosting your mood and mental resilience.

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Step 2: Promote coregulation

In the face of collective trauma, coregulation—the mutual regulation of physiological and emotional states—becomes essential for promoting safety and connection in the workplace and beyond. By fostering an environment where coregulation is prioritized, you can help your team navigate the complex challenges brought on by collective trauma, enhancing your workforce’s overall resilience and cohesion.

Despite the annoyance you might sometimes feel with your colleagues, avoiding them to keep the peace isn't going to cut it. We are wired for connection, and connection is the one thing we're missing the most right now. Effective coregulation requires acknowledging that everyone's needs and responses are unique. Not everyone is going to like that mindfulness training or meditation app. Not everyone will want to speak up about conflicts in the world. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to regulation. That's where learning about colleagues' preferences and styles comes in.

It takes learning about how your colleagues and direct reports are feeling to truly coregulate effectively. It requires cultivating a culture where such conversations are focused on mutual understanding and support, not on debating the validity of personal beliefs on controversial issues.

It is important to note that effective coregulation focuses on how we are feeling rather than engaging in divisive debates about our positions on controversial topics. As eager as some of us may be to publicly debate hot topics, focusing on how we feel will help reinforce work as a safer space for emotional expression and mutual support, where the goal is understanding and responsiveness.

Four steps needed for coregulation:

1. Self-regulate: Start with Step 1 above.

2. Create a safe and predictable environment: Clear communication and consistent routines helps reduce uncertainty and anxiety, making the workplace a safer space for emotional expression and mutual support.

3. Encourage open and honest dialogue: Facilitating discussions about stress, trauma, and mental health challenges promotes a culture of openness and trust, enabling team members to share their experiences and seek support without fear of judgment.

4. Model self-regulation and healthy coping strategies: As Gandhi said, "Be the change you want to see in the world." In order to create safety with others, demonstrate effective coping mechanisms and self-regulation techniques, serving as a role model for others.

5. Provide opportunities for social connection and support: Organizing team-building activities and providing spaces for informal social interactions can enhance feelings of connectedness and support among team members, crucial for emotional resilience.

Beyond Traditional Wellbeing Strategies

While mindfulness apps and Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) have their place, they are not a substitute for addressing the experiences we've been through and continue to navigate together. Over-reliance on rigid PTO or Return to Office (RTO) policies can also be problematic, as it sets a precedent that may not address the specific requirements of each situation. Instead, focus on understanding your team members’ individual needs and customize support plans accordingly.

Here are four principles for moving beyond templatized solutions:

1. Communicate frequently: Schedule one-on-one meetings with team members to discuss their well-being, challenges, and needs. Use this information to tailor support and resources.

2. Promote flexibility and autonomy: Empower team members to shape their work environment and schedules in ways that promote their well-being and productivity.

3. Invest in training and development: Provide learning opportunities that address the team’s specific challenges and needs, such as self-regulation workshops, growth mindset trainings, or conflict resolution seminars. Encourage employees to find their own means of self-regulation.

4. Collaborate with mental health professionals: Partner with therapists, coaches, or other mental health experts to develop targeted interventions and support programs for your team.

Moving Forward

Navigating collective trauma at work requires a multifaceted strategy that prioritizes self-regulation, team coregulation, and customized solutions. The strategies and frameworks outlined in this article provide a roadmap for cultivating a resilient workplace environment that can withstand the impact of collective trauma and foster lasting improvements in collaboration and outcomes.

That said, this journey is an ongoing process of growth and adaptation. As new challenges come up, and they will, stay responsive and continuously refine your approach. Recognize that progress toward healing and resilience is often non-linear, and acknowledge the interconnectedness of work and life by providing support for employees both within and outside the office.

By prioritizing the well-being and unique requirements of each individual and the collective of your team, you can build a workplace better equipped to weather the storms of collective trauma and emerge stronger, more resilient, and more connected than ever before. Through this commitment to compassion, adaptability, and ongoing growth, we can start to build a future where work is a safe space, even in the face of tremendous uncertainty and conflict.

Have you implemented any of the above strategies or tactics to address the wellbeing of your team in these stressful times?