A trauma-informed approach to working with new professionals and candidates

What do an HR manager and a psychotherapist have in common? At the very least, they should recognise when individuals approach them with specific past traumas.

Regarding hiring, we are talking about the career injuries inflicted upon candidates by managers and colleagues or because of the niche aspects at their previous workplace. Individuals with these injuries can still excel as professionals, but interacting with them effectively demands a unique approach for maximum effectiveness.

What is the primary difference between candidates with an injury and candidates without one? Typically, high levels of anxiety. For example, when a professional discusses whether they properly understand the task several times, they arrive at work an hour before the doors open. Here lies the positive side of such injuries: employees affected by them are often extremely responsible, diligent, and hardworking, and you can always rely on them. Nevertheless, because of this, they frequently experience emotional exhaustion. Likewise, career injuries are usually accompanied by problems when it comes to team interaction and avoiding conflict, reducing the resourcefulness and creativity of a specialist. They tend to harbour dissatisfaction and may abruptly resign without providing any explanation.

The method employed by the HR manager and boss to determine if a candidate has injuries and then organise their activities, taking them into account, is called Trauma-informed. You must know what types of injuries there are, identify them, understand the stages a specialist goes through during the process, and learn ways to adjust interactions with the person. Certainly! This task isn't challenging; it significantly enhances communication quality and provides a clearer framework for evaluating candidates during the hiring process. According to research by the Workforce Institute, almost 70% of employees believe that their mental state depends on senior managers' behaviour. This means that a Trauma-informed approach enhances employee productivity and fosters trusting and enduring relationships with them.

Types of career injuries and "code phrases"

Career trauma can be defined as any situation that has left an individual with negative experiences and lasting concerns, which continue to impact their work approaches, behaviour, or results. Based upon this, it is impossible to list all injuries due to their vast number and diverse nature, but the most common ones include:

• Experienced dismissal, which occurs suddenly, unfairly, or during a period of personal/economic or any other crisis.

• Faced serious conflicts in their previous workplace, including bullying from colleagues, accusations of theft (yes, sometimes this happens), gossip, harassment, etc.

• The bankruptcy of a company. Likewise, it's not a prerequisite that this company was owned by the candidate currently seeking employment and attempting to secure a position with you. A company's bankruptcy can also affect employees, particularly if they have an exaggerated sense of responsibility or are close to the previous manager.

• Being denied a position, even when the candidate was outperformed by a competitor, resulting in the promotion being awarded to another individual despite the candidate's capabilities and advantages.

You can recognise an individual's career trauma using code phrases: specific remarks and expressions. You must listen carefully and perhaps keep a notepad nearby to jot down notes for later analysis. The list of "code phrases" can, for example, include:

• I prefer handling all my tasks independently; I've found that relying on others can be disappointing, and teamwork isn't always as efficient as I'd like."

• "Last time, I found starting a business incredibly challenging. I ended up losing everything. Now, I believe being an employee is a much safer option."

• "I typically allow the project to rest, avoiding hasty launches. I meticulously assess and double-check for an extended period to prevent mistakes. After all, in the market, any misstep can prove fatal."

• "I'm not accustomed to expressing emotions. Why? Because in the workplace, personal matters should remain private."

• "I no longer attempt to exceed my capabilities; experience has demonstrated that there is futility in doing this."

• "Are salaries paid punctually? Precisely, without fail. What guarantees can you give me?"

• "At this moment, I am simply seeking a safe haven and stability; I've encountered my fill of uncertainty."

It is crucial to observe whether the candidate's expressions exhibit devaluation (including their own merits), apprehension regarding certain matters (for instance, if the candidate inquiries about the same issue repeatedly, suggesting a lack of trust) and a deliberately antagonistic demeanour (as though the candidate is ready for conflict or defeat).

What do you do if you discover a candidate has come to you with a career injury? The first step is to recognise how high the risk is and whether their injury will begin to interfere with the valuable work of the professional and the development of your company. If, for instance, you operate at an exceptionally rapid pace and you are seeking someone who can swiftly "transition" into a new direction, then a professional with a career trauma is unlikely to suit you because these individuals, as a rule, need two to three months to work through their trauma and adapt. If you are considering a specialist for the longer term, what is important to you is their skills and experience, and not their enthusiastic energy. Then, you do not have to worry about their injury.

Therefore, a candidate's career injury is not a red flag for the employer, they say, that it is neither a marital commitment nor an absolute cause for rejection. This is merely a transient attribute that you will need to consider as you proceed with the professional's integration into the team; nothing beyond that. Therefore, you should not immediately refuse such candidates; injuries do not lessen their ambitions or skills but complicate their adaptation to a new place.

How to Create a Trauma-Informed Work Environment

A trauma-informed approach to creating a workplace environment is beneficial not only if your current employees already have career injuries but also when you want to prevent these injuries from happening. Simply put, the trauma-informed approach is universal. It considers the characteristics of the human psyche. Considering a person's emotional needs allows you to create more comfortable and productive working conditions. The approach, incidentally, is executed through a blend of fairly straightforward techniques.

Describe informal rules

Informal rules imply working nuances that are not recorded anywhere in documents and are not usually discussed. It's not for nothing that they say that "the devil is in the details. These details can easily dissuade new players, even if they do not have any career injuries. For example:

• Is declining participation in a company event acceptable, or is attendance mandatory for all?

• Can you write to colleagues about some issues during non-working hours? If yes, what are the reasons for this?

• How long before you begin "approaching" designers to prepare the visual for a post on social media?

• Who can I contact for assistance if difficulties arise with some tasks?

• How do you address your colleagues and manager?

• What are the ways we wish each other happy birthday and celebrate? Is it appropriate to announce your birthday in advance?

• Who should you share your proposed projects or ideas with if any arise?

• Where can you sit in silence and reflect a little?

• Who can you invite to dinner? Where do you have lunch? Are there any special places for the team?

We must learn internal ethics, team communications, and corporate culture through experience. They increase stress levels (especially for injured professionals) and drain additional resources. To save money and help candidates quickly adapt to the workplace, introduce a "mentoring" system. Assign an experienced employee to a newcomer who will enlighten him on these issues.

Merge people into small groups

Employers with career injuries tend to have difficulty getting along with other individuals, so it is recommended that you introduce colleagues to each other yourself. Furthermore, preferably through work, since informal communication requires, for example, common interests and "connection," whilst the work itself unites.

Organise small groups of 2-4 people, bringing together professionals based on related tasks to work on a project or complete a specific large-scale task. Occasionally, reshuffling these groups can help sustain the equilibrium of trust among all participants (because you can accidentally overdo it and "split" your team into isolated groups). Let's say you need to develop brilliant creative ideas for social media regarding your new advertisement. Invite multiple designers or editors to collaborate on this project, or even give employees a choice of which group they would like to join and which task to complete accordingly. Firstly, this will reveal hidden potential (what if some employees are incredibly good at coming up with slogans?). Secondly, it helps to establish internal connections naturally.

Provide opportunities to express emotions and reflect

Usually, there is no time for exchanging emotions and reflection at meetings or discussions. After all, common problems, discussions and, as they say, "whining" are a great way to unite people. It also allows team members to discover each other's challenges, show their support, and perhaps even solve them together. Consider setting aside a dedicated "supervision" segment lasting 5 to 10 minutes when organising meetings. During this time, employees can voluntarily share their thoughts and insights about the following:

• What they cannot figure out and what problems they have encountered recently.

• What motivates or inspires them?

• What makes them angry, nervous, and worried?

The manager does not need to be present. If informal communication with team members is not already established, it might bewilder them. The key objective is to spark an exchange of emotions and impressions.

Dealing with dissatisfaction and complaints

Individuals who have experienced career trauma, as well as people in general, often struggle to voice their discontent with work. This includes expressing concerns about how colleagues perform their tasks. However, it is critical not to suppress dissatisfaction. Allowing it to accumulate can exacerbate existing injuries and even contribute to the emergence of new ones. In principle, what can a manager do if an employee is dissatisfied? The first and most constructive option is to talk and offer a solution that satisfies both parties. The second, which most people choose because it is more convenient, is to close your eyes and say, "Work; otherwise, we'll find someone else."

However, within the framework of a Trauma-informed approach, the latter option is unacceptable. This approach directly leads to causing career trauma for your employee. Consequently, the HR manager at their next job might shake their head disapprovingly and lament, "What a harsh boss they had in their previous role!" Therefore, constructive dialogue with employees is a must-have for effective working relationships. You can also use, for example, anonymous questionnaires to at least be aware of the problems the team observes and what needs to be addressed/supported.

Make your authority and management predictable

Creativity is welcomed in professionals working in a creative environment or project development, but when the boss suddenly starts being creative... It can ruin the whole team. After all, the primary responsibility of any manager, including HR managers, is to maintain team stability while achieving high-performance indicators and meeting KPIs. Indeed, innovations are required solely when optimisation is essential. However, not to "introduce variety into the routine." In short, a good manager is a predictable manager.

Employees, especially those injured, must clearly understand what to expect from you. What merits your praise and doesn't, what communication channels work with you, how do you react to certain things, etc? Being a "mysterious person" or a "surprise person" in a leadership position is unacceptable. Consistent and systematic communication from you is essential, just as your clearly defined requirements are a constant and reliable anchor for the company.

Of course, professionals with career injuries always carry certain risks for the company. However, it's essential to recognise that these injuries typically heal over time, and the outcome varies based on individual circumstances. Suppose you realise that you are not ready to be a "safe haven" for an employee going through an emotional burnout after having a toxic boss. In that case, it is better to retreat. However, suppose the employee's potential and professionalism outweigh this, which your company seriously lacks. In that case, you can take on their "rehabilitation", and the employee will continue to flourish again after a while. After all, a positive experience always outweighs a negative one-it's just important to provide it. With the help of a mentoring system, well-developed adaptation, and regular friendly support, this is much easier than finding a good professional in the labour market.