Employers and employees who may be located thousands of miles from
New York City, Washington D.C., and Somerset, Pa., are still deeply
affected by the horrific terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. Businesses
must respond in constructive ways to help workers and the entire
U.S. economy overcome this national tragedy.
The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks deeply wounded both the American
psyche and economy. In its aftermath, many employees are frightened
and confused with alternating feelings of sadness, depression, and
outright rage. It is therefore imperative for the American business
community to assume a position of leadership in helping employees
return to a sense of normalcy and level of comfort in their professional
and private lives.
Unfortunately Marilyn Knight, president and CEO of Incident Management
based in Southfield, Mich., has experience dealing with the impact
of terrorism on employees. Knight was the onsite crisis consultant
for the Ryder Corporation following the bombing of the federal building
in Oklahoma City.
Psychological aftershocks
According to Knight, in the aftermath of such a traumatic event
it is not unusual for employees to experience the following troubling
symptoms:
"In the workplace, this translates into more accidents, absenteeism,
short fuses among colleagues and customers, an inability to focus
on the workplace, and a tendency to ruminate and talk about the
event," Knight tells HRWire.
"As employees experience these normal reactions, they often think
that something is personally wrong with them or that they are not
strong," notes Knight. "But that is not the case at all."
Employers must help employees understand that painful reactions
to psychological injury are neither uncommon nor untreatable. In
many ways, psychological injury is comparable to physical injury.
Both result in normal, but painful symptoms, which, with proper
care, should subside over time.
Nonetheless, while one expects pain to surface following a physical
injury, individuals are often surprised by pain when it accompanies
a psychological or emotional injury. As a result many people attempt
to conceal their emotional discomfort to the point where they become
traumatized, says Knight.
Physical toll
"This trauma may then manifest itself in the form of physical problems
such as gastrointestinal pain, headaches and stress," she asserts.
The end result for businesses is misdirected medical care and medical
costs.
"Therefore, helping employees deal with psychological injuries
suffered in the aftermath of last week's terrorist attacks is not
only the humane and caring thing for business to do," states Knight,
"it is also cost effective."
Take time
According to Joyce Gioia, president of The Herman Group, certified
management consultants based in Greensboro, N.C., management must
display a heightened sense of sensitivity in these troubling times.
She tells HRWire, "Business leaders must acknowledge with words
as well as with actions that the grieving process is important."
Employers should not assume that all members of their organization
would take equally long to deal with this tragedy. While some employees
will be able to function normally within a matter of days, others
may take weeks or longer.
In addition to differences in terms of time, employees will cope
with this tragedy in different ways. Some workers may cope by going
through their daily work routine, while others may need professional
assistance.
"There is no telling who will be impacted to what degree," says
Knight. "It is not a matter of character, strength or will power.
There are a myriad of reasons why some may have a more dramatic
reaction than others."
As a result, employers must be sensitive to employee needs on an
individual basis. "It is important for employers to recognize that
the entire nation has suffered from this attack," Knight tells HRWire.
"To expect people to get back to work and not talk about what has
happened is experienced by employees as callous and uncaring."
"In some cases leaders can show sensitivity basically by just leaving
people alone and recognizing that employees may not be ready to
go back to business as usual," adds Gioia.
That said, she nonetheless urges employers to find constructive
ways of helping employees to bind together during the coming weeks
and months.
Take the lead
One exercise that occurred at many businesses in the days immediately
following the terrorist attacks was to gather employees together
both formally and informally so that they could discuss their feelings
and fears. Consultants agree that companies who have not organized
a town hall meeting of employees should consider doing so.
But the effort to galvanize workers should not end there. Businesses
may want to encourage employers to undertake blood donation and
fundraising activities to help the ongoing rescue efforts in New
York and D.C. While some employees may already be engaging in individual
volunteer activities, organizing a group employee effort can help
the entire workforce better cope with the recent tragedy.
From her experience dealing with the tragedy in Oklahoma City,
Knight knows firsthand how terrorism can shatter an employee's sense
of safety and make them feel vulnerable. Constructive fundraising
and aid events can empower employees who may otherwise be struggling
with helplessness. Bake sales, car washes or other events to raise
money allow workers to participate in a group activity that directs
their energy toward helping victims and making a positive impact.
"Whenever people have an opportunity to work together for a good
cause, then it is going to bond them together," Gioia tells HRWire.
Furthermore, when employers take an active role in organizing these
events, "it bonds employees to the business and makes them know
that the employer is aware of the magnitude of last week's events,"
she continues. Both Gioia and Knight suggest that employers consider
bringing in a psychologist, psychiatrist, coach, or other professional
with training in grief counseling and trauma counseling. Making
use of your company's EAP is essential in dealing with potential
problems resulting from last week's events.
Beware of backlash
Employers must also take steps to be sensitive of their Arab and
Muslim employees who may be targets of backlash in the workplace
and community at large. Taking steps to increase camaraderie between
employees is essential at companies with large Arab and Muslim populations.
"Employers and employees should pay careful attention to all communiquÙs
that are issued," states Khalid Iqbal, director of operations at
the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Washington,
D.C. Iqbal reports those days after the attacks, a vice president
at a firm in Virginia sent and later retracted an offensive company-wide,
email message referring to Arabs as "camel-jockeys."
"In the end it's people who make decisions and it's people run
businesses, and as a result emotions do come into play," he tells
HRWire. "But in every difficult situation there is a opportunity
to learn."
Employers, as well as Arab and Muslim employees themselves, must
take a leadership role in dispelling stereotypes and defusing a
potentially volatile situation. Organizations such as CAIR offer
religious sensitivity training to U.S. businesses.
As Americans deal with their outrage over last week's attacks,
Gioia underscores a fact that must be reiterated throughout the
workplace, "all workers need to understand that just because someone
is a Muslim or of Arab descent does not mean that they are a terrorist."
The return to normalcy
As companies and employees attempt to reestablish their daily routines,
employers must be sure to offer both time and support to their staffs.
Granting sufficient space, while promoting meaningful contact can
be a difficult task. The key for employers is to make sure that
workers are offered and aware of services and activities that can
help them deal with alien emotions in their own way and at their
own pace.
"Normalcy depends on each individual," observes Gioia.
"Employees need to know that their reactions, though painful are
normal," adds Knight. "Crisis management is helping them regain
mastery and control over their world and setting an expectation
that things will get better."
