Identifying Traumatic Reactions

Employee Assistance Program

People experiencing work-related trauma have reported the following reactions:

Experiencing physical symptoms without a medical explanation for their persistence
Having original symptoms become worse or generalize to other situations
Feeling out of control – unexpected episodes of tearfulness, disrupted sleep patterns, appetite disturbances, panic attacks
Having difficulty concentrating and/or experiencing memory loss or impairment
Being hyper vigilant – very tense and easily startled
Having stomach disturbances separate from injuries related to trauma
Increased consumption of alcohol and/or drugs

Changes to relationships in work environment:

Being afraid of returning to workplace
Becoming concerned and anxious about the safety of the work environment
Changing regular work routines to avoid physical reminders of the event
Avoiding performing job activities related to the traumatic event or refusing to use equipment or follow policies and/or procedures associated with the trauma
Experiencing flashbacks of trauma triggered by auditory, visual and olfactory cues in the environment
Decreasing time spent at work (sick leave, vacation, unexplained absences)
Questioning whether or not to remain working at “this” job or “this” profession
Feeling foggy and numb.
Being inattentive to the task at hand that leads to increased accidents and errors
Deteriorating performance and or customer relations
Questioning own competency to perform the job

Changes in relationship to co-workers:

Feeling isolated – acting as though nothing has happened
Fearing blame for the occurrence of the event Feeling angry about actions or in-actions of co-workers
Losing sense of personal and professional self-esteem around colleagues
Feeling marked or exposed
Withdrawing from usual kinds of peer interactions

Changes in relationship to management: