Free Workplace Brochure:

Our nation has undergone an extremely trying and sensitive time. As a community service, PERFORMA passes on to you the following information for use in your workplace.

A critical incident is any incident that causes one to experience unusually strong emotional reactions, which have the potential to interfere with their ability to function either during the event or later. Even though the event may be over, people may be experiencing or may experience later, some strong emotional or physical reactions. It is very common, in fact quite normal for people to experience emotional aftershocks when they have passed through, witnessed or confronted a horrible event.

Sometimes the emotional aftershocks (or stress reactions) appear immediately after the event. Sometimes they may appear a few hours or a few days later. And, in some cases weeks or months may pass before the stress reactions appear.

Below are initial, subsequent and ongoing responses that adults, children and workplaces may experience.

Chronic and ongoing responses may need the attention of your EAP, Clergy, or a mental health professional.

•	Fear
•	Disbelief
•	Horror
•	Anxiety
•	Need for more information
•	Need to know where to seek help
•	Disorientation and numbness
•	Reluctance to return to normal routine
•	Need to feel helpful

•	Changes in appetite and digestive problems
•	Difficulty in sleeping
•	Nightmares/dreams
•	Headaches and other physical symptoms
•	Anger
•	Apathy, depression
•	Crying
•	Frustration and feelings of powerlessness
•	Increased effects of personal medical conditions
•	Feelings of being overwhelmed
•	Moodiness and irritability
•	Inability to concentrate
•	Anxiety about the future
•	Isolation from family/friends
•	Guilt over not being able to help
•	Exaggeration of own problems
•	Increase in relationship difficulties

•	Return to earlier behavior, such as thumb sucking or bed wetting
•	Clinging to parents
•	Reluctance to go to bed or school
•	Nightmares
•	Fantasies that the disaster never happened
•	Crying and screaming
•	Withdrawal and immobility
•	Concentration problems

•	All of the responses previously listed and the following…
•	Distraction
•	Decrease in concentration
•	Triggering of other losses
•	Decrease in performance
•	Increase in absenteeism
•	Increase in need to attend to family
•	Sense of ‘what’s the use?’
•	Increase in interpersonal conflict
•	Withdrawal
•	Fear of violence in the workplace

•	Continue conversation with the organization. In the beginning, daily management briefings are necessary; as the trauma continues hold briefings at least weekly.
•	Communicate with all employees at least weekly either by email, phone, memo or in small groups.
•	Allow employees to take personal time to attend to their own needs.
•	Insure employees that your workplace is safe and take added precautions if necessary.
•	Acknowledge that individuals will respond and recover at different paces. Also note that employees may be dealing with other losses and recent trauma may trigger emotions related to them.
•	Arrange educational stress programs for employees. Make available an Employee Assistance Program or other counseling service.
•	Establish a comfort or chat room. The room should be off the beaten trail, have a TV, Kleenex and water. The TVs and radios in the other areas of the organization should be off limits to news programs after the first few days. The comfort or chat room is for breaks and for those who feel they need updates on the disaster. Keep the room going for approximately a month or until no one is any longer using it.
•	Talk about the impact on your specific business and what effect if any it has on your company.
•	If any members of your corporate family have been affected by a loved ones death or ‘missing’ status, consider a memorial service for all employees to attend.
•	Assure all that business will go on, different in some ways, but there will be continuity.
•	Recognize that everyone will have some reaction/response to the trauma and those responses will change.
•	Diffuse any discriminatory judgments and remarks made against other people’s responses and against people of other ethnicities.
•	Remind everyone to take care of themselves and their families.
•	The question "when will it be time to laugh again?" will come up. Assure employees that clean and wholesome laughter and humor in no way shows disrespect.
•	You will also need to address the corporate travel policy. What will you do if an employee is afraid to travel to NYC, Washington or other places? How will you handle new fear of flying?
•	Additional issues may arise that challenge the workplace. Call your EAP or another workplace program for advice.
•	Finally, management has a responsibility to take care of themselves so that they can take care of others. Stay well and seek help.

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