Bringing Trauma to Work

The labor shortage. If you’re like many employers, you’re having a hard time filling jobs. You might find yourself taking chances on candidates you would not have considered before – people with spotty job histories, who have been in and out of the workforce. People we know well at JobsWork MKE. We’re a nonprofit that works with the Milwaukee area’s hardest-to-employ population – helping them find, and keep, jobs. Helping them break the cycle of poverty. We’ve learned the No.1 reason they have not yet achieved sustained employment – the “root barrier” to their success – is trauma: the emotional and physical damage caused by traumatizing events of their past and present. Now, these new hires are bringing their trauma to your workplace. That might sound daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. As the saying goes, knowledge is power. That’s why we’ve created this podcast. We want to help you understand the nature of trauma, how it can impact your employees, and how you can support them in practical, realistic ways – without interrupting normal operations. The goal: you get productive, resilient employees and reduced turnover. The employees get the chance to transform their lives through ongoing work in a supportive environment. It's the proverbial "win-win." As one trauma expert told us, “The safer and more relaxed your employees feel, the better everything gets at your company or organization.”