Corporate customers RETURN TO PRODUCTIVITY AFTER WORKPLACE TRAGEDY Crisis Leadership During Acute Traumatic Stress BOB VANDEPOL CRISIS CARE NETWORK

Corporate customers

RETURN TO PRODUCTIVITY AFTER WORKPLACE TRAGEDYCrisis Leadership During Acute Traumatic Stress

BOB VANDEPOLCRISIS CARE NETWORK

www.crisiscare.com | 888-736-0911

© 2005 Crisis Care Network All Rights Reserved





There is no greater honor and no greater responsibility than to be there on the worst day

of someone’s life.

We must do it well.

More than a Job



Business Continuity and Recovery

There is no business recovery without people who:

• Are healthy enough to return to work and be productive

• Are assured enough of their safety to not feel afraid to return to work

• Have had their trust in the leadership established so that they desire to return to work

• Have had their loyalty rewarded so they remain employees over the short haul and the long haul



Employer Concerns• Fulfilling Duty to provide a safe workplace• Protecting Brand & Other Assets• Assuring Public that they are safe• Responding to Regulatory Agencies• Identifying Cause and taking action• Resuming Operation ASAP due to Productivity Pressures• Controlling Losses• Demonstrating Care for their Employees

The High Cost of Workplace TragedyHuman and Financial Costs



Do the Right Thing…..

….and it’s good for business. Mitigate Risk:

– Litigation– Attrition– Workers Comp claims– Message sent to staff – Reputational risk– Lost productivity





Impact not Incident



Physiological/Neurological Response

• Fight!

• Flight!

• Freeze!



World View Self-View



• Darn! Wrong place. Wrong Time vs. They picked me because I’m weak.

• Whew! Grateful to be alive vs. This kind of stuff always happens to me.

• Normal reaction to an abnormal event vs. I’m a weak wimp.

Self-View Predicts Outcome



My View of My Employer Predicts Outcome

• We are the Hokies vs. We are the Victims

• This company cares about me vs. I’m just a number.

• My boss knows her stuff vs. My boss is clueless.





Sources: Ursano, 2002; Institute of Medicine, 2003

Believe in Resilience

Fear and DistressResponse

Behaviour Change

PsychiatricIllness



Insurance Claims Handling Values the Impact of Immediate Response

• Recent studies show a significant increase in total claims cost on claims reported late. When comparing the average claim cost to claims reported late (4 days or more), costs were from 30%-40% more than claims reportedly timely. Each week of delay results in about a 10% increase in costs.

Liberty Mutual reported: Report Lag Impact on Average Claim Costs 4-7 days 3% 8-14 days 6% 15-21 days 15% 22-28 days 26% 29+ days > 40%

*Based on Liberty Mutual Group data

Reporting Workers’ Compensation Claims – 2011 – Article 1



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Phase-Sensitive Approach

• Fear Safety

• Isolation Connectivity

• Chaos Structure

• Helplessness Efficacy

• Victim Survivor



CIR “Job Description”

• Consult with the organization’s leadership

• Position the company’s leadership favorably

• Let people talk if they wish to do so

• Identify normal reactions to an abnormal event so that people don’t panic

regarding their own reactions

• Build group support

• Outline self-help recovery strategies

• Brainstorm solutions to overcome immediate return-to-work and return-to-life

obstacles

• Triage movement toward either immediate business-as-usual functioning or

additional care



Leadership in Times of Crisis – ACT!

• Acknowledge and name the trauma

• Communicate pertinent information with competence and compassion

• Transition to adaptive functioning and/or refer to additional care



Make a Difference

Documents

Corporate customers RETURN TO PRODUCTIVITY AFTER WORKPLACE TRAGEDY Crisis Leadership During Acute Traumatic Stress BOB VANDEPOL CRISIS CARE NETWORK