We know that employers are making strides in committing to employee health and wellbeing. But a Nottingham Business School (United Kingdom) report on the workplace experience of adult survivors of childhood trauma demonstrates that employers lack awareness of the impact on productivity and careers.

The subject is still taboo—in a seminar yesterday participants discussed why it's easier to explain the impact of bereavement than to explain the impact of childhood trauma. Given the scale of abuse and ever-increasing media coverage and public discussion, more survivors are talking about its impact. This public discussion mirrors the journey towards tackling mental health in the workplace—an issue that was surrounded by stigma but can now be talked about openly.

We now need the right climate in the workplace for survivors to talk openly and with full confidence so that their employer can provide appropriate support.

Public opinion demands that "more must be done" to support survivors and surely action on the part of employers is simply "the right thing to do."

Report highlights

Satisfaction with support offered by employers

·      The survey shows that an appropriate level of support is essential to address any work-related issues

·      Most participants were not satisfied with the current support provision offered by the employers

When asked how important it is to have guaranteed access to workplace support, 92% of participants (regardless of disclosure decision) said very important to somewhat important.

Creating the right environment to thrive at work

Participants highlighted the following:

·      Trust, listening and understanding underpin values highlighted by participants

·      They strongly suggested that a link with a generic mental health policy is essential

·      Developmental opportunities for line managers to develop appropriate leadership skills and enhance their level of awareness on the key issues associated with childhood trauma

·      Participants described the importance of raising the level of awareness amongst staff around the subject and ensuring that any discriminatory behaviours are removed from the workplace.

There are different support needs for childhood trauma survivors. Disclosure might be a key stage to receiving support but organisations also need to consider survivors’ healing processes and requirements.

Disclosure

Feeling confident to ask for help is the first step to improved productivity and performance.

Reasons for non-disclosure

52% of the survivors had not informed their current employer about their trauma.

·      The main reason for the non-disclosure is the fear of stigmatisation and discrimination (mostly by management) due to the trauma experienced

·      Lack of support and the ‘appropriate’ environment to discuss personal matters with line managers act as a barrier to disclosure in the workplace

·      Disclosure is related to survivor confidence to discuss key issues with their employer

·      Issues associated with job security, promotion and engagement are also equal barriers in non-disclosure.

Reasons for disclosure

·      For those participants who disclosed Childhood trauma (48%), their motivation was mostly driven by the employers’ desire to address performance and productivity

Impact on productivity

Organisational support is critical:

·      52% of participants agreed that individual productivity had been affected by their trauma and a high proportion of survivors still experience issues in the workplace

Sickness absence

Absence is a key performance indicator to assess whether childhood trauma survivors receive appropriate support.

·      A large proportion of participants indicated that they have been off work due to the childhood trauma they experienced

·      From those, 21% experienced severe absence from work indicating a negative impact upon their ability to complete work-related tasks

Those who experienced severe absence are mostly those who have not disclosed their trauma to employers and expressed negative views of their employers’ support.

Career stagnation

·      52% indicated that their trauma had a negative effect on career progression and their ability to advance their careers

·      Most participants experienced some form (moderate or a little) negative impact on their careers due to childhood trauma

There is a small proportion of participants (6%) who argued that there was not any impact upon their careers.

How we can help

Thrive provides specialist support for employers and 71% of the participants who completed the services think that the service is necessary to address their needs related to childhood trauma.