12 Ways of Supporting an Employee With PTSD

Getting Effective Help for an Employee Suffering from Trauma

PTSD doesn’t only impact personal lives; it can also follow people into the workplace. The disorder makes daily tasks challenging, even for your best employees. Knowing about supporting an employee with PTSD requires a balance of practical support and professionalism.

Catalina Behavioral Health is Tucson’s leader in caring for PTSD symptoms. Over the years, we’ve seen how a supportive work environment can contribute to overcoming the stress of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health problems. While job performance can dip without treatment, things can improve quickly with the proper support and counseling services.

When affected employees with PTSD face workplace challenges, these reasonable accommodations and coping strategies can help restore a productive workplace.

Managing PTSD in the Workplace

Mental health conditions usually don’t bear visible scars. When you start supporting employees with PTSD symptoms, you’ll also start improving other mental health challenges in other employees. That’s true even when you aren’t even aware of those lurking challenges.

You never know which employee is silently hoping for help – and your policies can have a tremendous impact.

1) Gain a Basic Understanding of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Learning more about PTSD is the first step toward providing appropriate support. PTSD is a diagnosed mental health disorder recognized in the DSM-5 manual. Post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, can have symptoms that can cause significant distress.

Recognizing and understanding PTSD in the workplace as a medical condition – and not laziness or unprofessionalism – goes a long way toward meeting the employee’s unique challenges.

2) Allowing Employees to Have Predictable Work Schedules

People with post-traumatic stress disorder often struggle with unexpected changes. Conversely, they benefit from predictable routines. Allowing them to establish a routine work schedule helps them manage stress.

More than that, it allows them to know in advance when it’s safe to schedule an appointment for ongoing support. A predictable schedule means they’ll probably schedule mental health support after hours, with minimal interruptions during the work day..

3) Provide Reasonable Accommodations While Respecting Privacy

An employee may approach you to request workplace accommodations, but that doesn’t mean they want to share details with you or their co-workers. Avoid pressing them about the traumatic experience, while lending a kind ear if they do want to discuss the traumatic event.

Employers should never disclose employee medical conversations to others – ADA workplace laws protect them. Open communication and trust are necessary for a supportive environment.

4) Offer Flexible Work Arrangements

When an employee is experiencing PTSD symptoms, flexibility is appreciated. If the employee’s job can be completed offsite, consider remote work. If you’re in a slow season, offer a slightly reduced workload or flexible working hours to allow them to tend to their well-being.

These reasonable adjustments offer support to employees experiencing undue hardship because of the intrusive thoughts that often accompany PTSD.

5) Minimize Workplace PTSD Triggers

Loud or startling noises, frequent interruptions, or too much pressure can cause a flare-up of PTSD symptoms. People with PTSD sometimes have flashbacks, intrusive memories, and physical symptoms that can cause difficulty concentrating.

Employers can create a more supportive work environment by limiting potential triggers. Try moving desks to a quieter spot, reducing environmental noise, and limiting workplace drama or chaos.

6) Encourage the Use of Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)

Many mid-sized to large companies have employee assistance programs that provide access to counseling services, mental health professionals, and limited crisis support. However, many employees forget about the EAP, even when they need professional treatment.

If an employee expresses concern about their decreased productivity due to post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD, remind them of this resource.

7) Team Awareness and Support for Mental Health Conditions

Make managers and supervisors in your work environment aware of the role they play in supporting employees with PTSD or other mental health disorders. Mental illnesses can significantly impact an employee’s performance negatively, even after years of dedicated service.

Offer training sessions to help managers understand how to cultivate a safe space for all without singling out a specific employee.

8) Provide a Quiet Space for Breaks

A person who has experienced trauma can also share the common symptoms of anxiety or panic attacks. Employers can support individuals with PTSD by offering a quiet retreat.

This place is somewhere employees with PTSD can regain composure when they feel overwhelmed by stress or anxiety.

9) Supporting Employees with Clear Communication

Employees with post-traumatic stress disorder may be very sensitive to perceived criticism or conflict. Use clear, calm, and non-judgmental language when doing regular check-ins on their performance.

Employers should provide constructive feedback in private to avoid triggering social withdrawal, which is common in PTSD.

10) Give Workers the Right Physical Spaces

PTSD can come with physical symptoms – muscle tension, headaches, fatigue. Making a few simple adjustments in the workspace can help eliminate the distraction of these symptoms. Consider investing in ergonomic chairs, adjustable desks, or soft lighting.

Employees with PTSD – and those without – appreciate employers’ attention to their well-being.

Just a Few Examples of PTSD Accommodation in the Workplace

Supporting employees with PTSD can make a world of difference in employee retention and satisfaction.

Keep reading for some examples of employers who took time for understanding PTSD and implementing tools for impacted workers:

Emma’s Employer Helped Relieve Her Trauma

‘Emma,’ a 32-year-old digital marketer, struggled with PTSD after a natural disaster destroyed her home. Loud noises and sudden movement cause her to freeze and have difficulty concentrating. She privately discussed her PTSD with her manager.

Aware of the traumatic event but not how it had impacted Emma, her manager moved Emma’s desk to a quieter corner. He even helped her brainstorm what might help and suggested she try noise-canceling headphones.

It turned out that soft music helped her avoid intrusive thoughts. With the appropriate support and adjustments, Emma had fewer intrusive thoughts. The open communication had been a job saver.

Carlos Opened up to His Supervisor About His Trauma

‘Carlos,’ 28, was a military veteran and warehouse supervisor. Several tours on active duty had taken a toll on his mental and physical health. The constant fast pace of the warehouse sometimes caused PTSD symptoms like irritability, muscle tension, and emotional numbing.

When Carlos realized his PTSD had significantly impacted his work, he opened up to his manager about his workplace challenges. She offered him access to the department’s rarely used meeting room for those moments when he needed a quiet atmosphere.

She also worked with HR to temporarily shift his work hours to allow him to attend appointments. The supportive environment allowed Carlos to remain at work while seeking trauma and mental health treatment.

Jenna’s Job Performance Improved After an Honest Conversation

‘Jenna,’ 40, was a customer service agent who had experienced trauma – a severe car wreck. It left her with anxiety and panic attacks, especially on days when the incoming calls came in at a high volume. The constant ringing made her feel on edge.

She found it challenging to keep her emotions in check whenever she had to deal with a problematic person and that it was time to reveal the extent of her symptoms. She hoped she could develop a solution and keep her job.

Jenna’s supervisor took time to listen and was understanding of her needs – she’d always been one of their best agents. The supervisor explained that the company was experimenting with online chat support, which would be quieter than the constant ringing phones.

She offered Jenna a position as a chat agent and moved her out of the loud call center into a quieter spot. The changes in the workplace allowed Jenna to better manage the stress of the trauma.

Catalina Offers Evidence-Based Trauma and PTSD Treatment

One of the best ways of supporting employees with PTSD in the workplace is for employers to encourage them to seek professional treatment. A professional therapist can help employees recover after traumatic events, including assaults, natural disasters, the loss of a loved one, or any other negative experience.

Our outpatient treatment programs have an incredible track record or treating trauma. The best part is that employees can balance their careers and trauma treatment.

Working with our professional can help employees minimize the trauma symptoms while teaching them coping strategies to manage their stress in the workplace or at home. The result is a more productive employee who enjoys professional and personal well-being.

Our team will develop a personalized trauma treatment program that will help them be strong and well again. We can’t undo the traumatic event, but we can reduce the stress of intrusive trauma symptoms.

We Accept Most Workplace Insurance Plans

Catalina has worked hard to develop great relationships with most group health plans. Because PTSD is a diagnosed mental health condition, it qualifies employees for professional trauma treatment.

We understand that dealing with insurance policies can trigger trauma symptoms. So we ask that you leave the phone calls to learn about insurance approvals or pre-authorizations to our team.

Call our caring staff for insurance verification with your group benefits card handy. We’ll ask for some of the data from the card and let you focus on taking care of yourself. Once we have the approvals, we’ll contact you with the details.

Connect With Catalina for Trauma Treatment Options

Do you have an employee juggling trauma symptoms and their job? Be aware that they may still struggle with potential triggers even when you as an employer are willing to make reasonable adjustments.

Catalina can develop an outpatient trauma treatment program that will let them work while receiving therapy to reduce the impact of your traumatic event.

Call our admissions team today. It’s confidential, and we’ll be glad to tell you about outpatient options.