Taking Care of Business

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“There is going to be some restructuring here over the next few weeks.” Lynne addresses the team of employees at their weekly strategy meeting. The team has been working on several large-scale projects, and their success has been acknowledged and celebrated. They’ve come so far, in fact, that Lynne knows it is time to begin interviewing new staff to handle the overflow of work. She looks around the room and sees Jane, Mitch, and Isabelle nodding and smiling as they accept her announcement. Chris, however, seems frozen in place, her eyes staring straight ahead, shoulders stiff, seemingly unreactive. Lynne raises her eyebrows, and as she stops to wonder what happened to her typically warm and encouraging team member, the others turn to look at Chris, confused.

Within Chris, a host of reactions are taking place at once. Her mind is racing, her body feeling is flushed, and her breaths are becoming shallow. It’s all she can do to act cool. The room blurs at the edges of her vision. Lynne looms in the distance, voice echoing.

What Chris is experiencing is a dissociative reaction, which involves a split within her psyche. She has been triggered into survival mode by the announcement, and she is unable to regain logical thought. She looks and acts like she is resistant to her team’s expansion. Meanwhile, in her mind, she is replaying a flashback. She feels like she is five years old and hiding on the stairwell of her childhood home, where any sudden change is likely to lead to danger.

This sort of interaction may seem familiar, as companies have been increasing their use of team work to generate well formulated results. Some of the most progressive work environments include areas for brainstorming and collaboration between like-minded professionals. As Adam Grant (2013) describes in his groundbreaking approach to corporate efficacy, when people collaborate with one another instead of working alone, they can troubleshoot and problem solve right in the moment. However, working as part of a team may involve interacting with not just one’s own area of expertise, but also with complex personalities and dynamics. This can create unique challenges for those who have histories of trauma.

According to the National Center for PTSD, about 60% of men and 50% of women will experience at least one trauma within their lifetimes, and about 8% of the population will develop PTSD as a result of those traumas. This means that there is a very real possibility that we may interact with coworkers who have been through danger and survived. Those individuals may show up as resilient, empathic, and creative thinkers who do not get easily discouraged. They may also be suffering in ways that are virtually invisible to the naked eye. It can be disconcerting to watch a coworker freeze in action or respond defensively when there is no obvious threat.

When we see those reactions occur in real time, we may get frustrated and use labels to describe the behavior we observe. What may help is knowing that if our coworker, employee, or even our boss is acting in a way that seems out of character and far from their usual norms, they may be exhibiting symptoms of PTSD. We may not be privy to their personal histories, but we can still give them the benefit of the doubt. In the words of vulnerability researcher Brene Brown, “People are hard to hate up close. Move in.” When we consider that our coworker may be reacting from a place of trauma, we can move closer and hear what they may want to express:

1. I might find myself triggered by situations that don’t seem like a big deal. Someone who has survived combat may freeze at the sound of a dish exploding in the office microwave. This doesn’t seem like a big deal to most, but the sound can lead to a flashback of gunshots. One who has been assaulted might want to walk away from an affable coworker who happens to be wearing cologne that recalls olfactory memories of an attacker. Someone who has suffered a tumultuous childhood, like Chris, might panic at any sudden change in organizational structure.

2. As my brain and body go into survival mode, I may not be able to control a fight, flight, or freeze reaction. Flashbacks to traumatic moments often feel just like the real thing, and when those happen, trauma survivors may experience autonomic nervous system arousal as their brains prepare for danger (van der Kolk, 2015). The resulting adrenaline rush may manifest in increased blood flow to the brain or extremities. A “fight” response may appear in the form of disproportionate aggression, such as a snide remark, “you think you know it all, don’t you?” They may walk away from or avoid a perceived threat in what is known as “flee” response. Alternatively, they may appear speechless or paralyzed and seem to “freeze.”

3. Your compassion and forgiveness can make all the difference. Most often, individuals with PTSD cannot control which particular survival tactic their brains choose to employ. However, once a sense of safety is restored, they can often take another look at what happened and react in a way that is truer to their actual selves. If you are not sure what to do, just ask, “Is there anything I can do to make this easier for you? What do you need in order to feel comfortable?”

Of course, if these reactions persist over time and impact workplace morale or production, it may be necessary to have a direct conversation with a coworker or to recruit the assistance of a team leader. There may be times when it is appropriate to remove an individual from a workplace role, especially if they are reacting in ways that make others feel unsafe.

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As we navigate the demands of our careers, those around us are often our most valuable assets (Grant, 2013). By working through difficult moments together, we can form an environment where people feel safe and supported. Even if we do not suffer from PTSD, we are all prone to the occasional workplace error, and we can each benefit from being able to trust that the people around us will treat our flaws with kindness. When we choose to create a working culture of acceptance, we can achieve results that make us truly proud.