Trauma-Informed Grievance Processes

Understanding Trauma

Trauma refers to experiences that threaten or harm a person’s safety, health, or sense of self. These experiences can happen directly or be witnessed. For example, they may involve physical harm, like assaults or accidents, or emotional harm, such as verbal abuse. In workplaces, trauma may come from violence, bullying, harassment, discrimination, or other harmful actions. Importantly, trauma can impact mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being, often making day-to-day life harder.

How Trauma Affects the Grievance Process

Trauma can greatly influence how people take part in workplace investigations. As Dr Bob Acton, PhD, explains, there are three main ways it can affect the process:

1. Behavioural Responses

Firstly, trauma often changes how people react to complaints and investigations. Emotional responses such as fear, anxiety, or anger are common. Similarly, physical symptoms might include headaches, stomach aches, or trouble sleeping. In some cases, people may withdraw or act in ways that seem unusual to HR professionals. Understanding these responses is important because they can differ from what is typically expected.

2. Cognitive Responses

Secondly, trauma can impact memory, which in turn affects the investigation. For instance, someone might only remember parts of an event or have gaps in their memory. This can make it difficult to provide clear information. While investigations focus on gathering facts, it is crucial to consider how trauma affects both memory and behaviour.

3. Re-traumatisation Risks

Lastly, the grievance process can unintentionally cause further harm. Re-traumatisation happens when something in the process reminds a person of their original trauma. This could include being asked to retell their story multiple times or facing questions that make them feel blamed for what happened. Re-traumatisation is especially concerning for people from groups with historical or cultural experiences of trauma, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, LGBTQ+ individuals, or women who have faced gender-based violence.

Trauma-Informed Care and Practice

Trauma-informed care is a way of working that acknowledges the serious impact of trauma. It aims to avoid repeating harm and instead focuses on restoring safety, confidence, and self-worth. This approach also improves workplace investigations by encouraging cooperation and reducing the chances of re-traumatisation.

Key Principles of Trauma-Informed Care:

Safety: Create an environment where everyone feels physically and emotionally safe.
Trust and Transparency: Build trust through clear and open communication.
Peer Support: Provide opportunities for people to connect and support one another.
Collaboration: Involve all parties in decisions and reduce power imbalances.
Empowerment: Recognise and encourage self-confidence and personal strength.
Cultural Awareness: Respect and address cultural, historical, and gender-related trauma.

By adopting these principles, workplaces can create a more supportive environment for everyone involved in grievance processes.

Benefits of Trauma-Informed Grievance Management

A trauma-informed approach has many advantages. It helps reduce harm, improves the quality of investigations, and ensures fairness. For example, this method gathers information in a way that respects trauma’s effects on memory and behaviour. It also encourages people to come forward with complaints, knowing they will be treated with care and respect.

Without this approach, investigations can cause further harm. Traditional methods may replicate the power dynamics that caused the trauma in the first place. This not only makes recovery harder but also risks worsening trauma symptoms.

How We Can Help

Organisations play a vital role in reducing the impact of trauma. Our tailored programs give HR teams, investigators, and leaders the tools they need to:

Understand trauma and its effects on grievance processes.
Apply trauma-informed principles in workplace investigations.
Address biases that might affect fair and supportive practices.
Create environments that promote healing and engagement.

By investing in trauma-informed practices, organisations can improve outcomes for individuals while fostering trust, safety, and fairness.

References

Originally posted on LinkedIn

Learning Solutions:

Workplace Culture Review

Psychosocial Risk Assessment & Controls

Trauma-Informed Focus Groups

Trauma-Informed Investigations