Understanding Adverse Events and Critical Incidents
Adverse workplace events include expected or unexpected death of a coworker, serious or terminal illness of a colleague, impactful news or community events impacting workforce members, or significant disruption or change (including layoffs) impacting the workforce. Adverse workplace events, while tragic or difficult, do not typically tax our coping skills for an extended period of time.
Critical incidents are rare and include situations that cause severe distress to employees that may disrupt present or future coping and productivity in the work setting. Critical incidents include multi- or mass casualty events in which injuries, harm, or death occur due to violence, accidents, or disasters impacting the workplace. While employees may find support helpful in response to critical incidents, most will have resilience or coping strategies needed to return to typical functioning.
For both adverse workplace events and critical incidents, the assumption of resilience (unless there is overt evidence indicating lack of coping capacity) is a key strategy in supporting workforce recovery from difficult circumstances. Research also indicates that strong, consistent communication and support demonstrated by leadership can be most helpful to employees in the face of difficult situations or events.
How Leaders and HR Can Respond to Adverse Events and Critical Incidents
Leadership and HR response to events or situations impacting the workforce is critical in supporting team return to productivity. It is important that responding leaders understand the impacts of the events or situations on themselves in order to most productively respond to the needs of the workforce. Consultation is available to assist leaders in understanding their own response and those responses they may see in employees. It is important for leaders and HR professionals to note that many people do not experience symptoms of grief (or trauma in the event of a critical incident) until days, weeks, or even months after a loss due to death or other impactful event. It is most helpful to allow individual employees to determine what their needs are associated with grief, support, and grief education. Please see our list of available PDFs that can be downloaded for your own use or for distribution to impacted employees.
Workplace Event and Critical Incident Services
| SITUATION | Available Services |
|---|---|
Workplace Events: Death of colleague/coworker Significant organizational change Other non-violent events | Consultation with impacted leaders is the first step in the CSEAP support process. Consultation increases CSEAP understanding of the event impacts and provides impacted leaders with support and coaching on ways to support their impacted employees. Individual grief, trauma, and general counseling is available through CSEAP to all state employees. Urgent scheduled triage appointments are typically available on a daily basis or within 1 business day of an event impacting employees. CSEAP offers 24/7 crisis response to employees experiencing acute distress. Employees may contact CSEAP at 303-866-4314 or 1-800-821-8154 to request these individual support services. Due to federal and state confidentiality laws, CSEAP is unable to temporarily provide counseling in your setting. Team support can include grief and/or stress education for those impacted by death of colleague/coworker, significant organizational changes, or other adverse workplace events. Research indicates this information may be most helpful several days or even weeks following the occurrence of an event. |
Critical Incidents: Mass or multi-casualty events Violent workplace events Direct impact natural/other disaster | Consultation with impacted leaders is the first step in the CSEAP support process. Consultation increases CSEAP understanding of the event impacts and provides impacted leaders with support and coaching on ways to support their impacted employees. Individual grief, trauma, and general counseling is available through CSEAP to all state employees. Urgent scheduled triage appointments are typically available on a daily basis or within 1 business day of an event impacting employees. CSEAP offers 24/7 crisis response to employees experiencing acute distress. Employees may contact CSEAP at 303-866-4314 or 1-800-821-8154 to request these individual support services. In direct coordination with leaders and with designated space available, CSEAP is available to provide on-site Psychological First Aid (PFA) to employees. PFA can most helpful after leaders have communicated appropriate event details to employees, and met the basic safety and security needs of the workplace and employees. |
Limitations
CSEAP does not provide memorial talks or services, or group spiritual or ‘healing’ guidance following a workplace-associated death. Services of this nature should be voluntary and are coordinated by the workplace. Workplaces are encouraged to use trained grief, spiritual, or other professional facilitators should they choose to provide such a service. Note that ‘healing circles’ are typically associated with atrocities experienced by marginalized communities while grief or bereavement ‘circles’ are more globally facilitated in response to a death or death(s) impacting the workplace.
CSEAP can provide grief, loss, stress, and trauma education to groups or teams of employees with notice and typically 3 to 10 days (or later) following clear communication of the circumstances to the workforce by departmental leaders. Due to federal and state confidentiality laws, CSEAP cannot provide ad hoc mental health counseling at your worksite. For mass impact events, CSEAP can provide Psychological First Aid at a safe and designated site in coordination with responding leaders.
Do you have general questions or has your team recently experienced an adverse workplace event or critical incident?
Scroll down for downloadable PDF handouts and information. You may also contact CSEAP at 303-866-4314 and request a consultation with Janeen Haller-Abernethy to discuss your situation and options for CSEAP response.