CPTSD in the Workplace: Creating a Safe Work Environment

Usually, when we talk about environmental safety, the conversation is about guidance, policies, and practices that are enforced to ensure that the surrounding environment is free from hazards. From a trauma recovery perspective, we also need to consider the hazards within our work environment that impede our ability to perform at our best.

In my experience, learning how to advocate for what we need to be successful is highly challenging for trauma survivors. We are used to blending in, caring for others, making ourselves small or invisible, or pretending we don’t have needs.

We might not even be aware that we are allowed to have needs and that they are allowed to be different from other people’s needs. It took me a long time to realize there was no shame in having needs. Many of us were shamed and told, “you are so needy,” like that was not a normal state for all humans.

This article will explore how trauma impacts our ability to function in the workplace, the protections/provisions under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and how to expand our self-advocacy capability.

How Trauma Impacts Our Ability to Function in the Workplace

First of all, I want to say that not every survivor experiences impediments in the workplace as a result of their trauma. For some, the workplace is their happy place. It is a place where they feel competent and confident.

That was the case for me until I had a zip file of repressed memories of childhood trauma open up and overwhelm my nervous system. I went from being a high-functioning overachiever to not being able to function at all. I didn’t know anything about trauma. I didn’t understand what was happening to me. I didn’t know who to talk to or how to talk about it. I was afraid that I was going to lose my job and my happy place.

If you are one of the fortunate souls who have not experienced challenges with functioning in the workplace, continue doing what you are doing. We celebrate you.

If you have experienced challenges in your ability to function in the workplace, you are not alone. As much as we don’t want to admit it, trauma can impact our ability to function and perform to the best of our ability in the workplace.

Many of us consciously fight against the reality of how much we struggle to perform in the workplace because we think we can handle it on our own, or we should be able to figure it out, or if I admit I am struggling, I will be judged or seen as incompetent.

We work hard to be successful so we can change our identity from victim to victor. We want to believe, “I’m fine,” or “I’ve got this,” but we “don’t got this.” I want you to hear me say this because I will repeat it often; there is no shame in asking for help. If you are struggling, the most courageous thing you can do is to ask for help.

We have already established that trauma impacts our nervous system, beliefs about ourselves and the world, and cognitive functioning. These are not things people can see on the outside; they are referred to as invisible disabilities.

“An invisible disability is a physical, mental, or neurological condition that is not visible from the outside, yet can limit or challenge a person’s movements, senses, or activities.”

I wouldn’t get too hung up on the term “disability” because it basically means that you have an ongoing physical or mental challenge, and we already know that. Just because you have a disability doesn’t necessarily mean you are disabled.

There are some typical challenges survivors face as a result of trauma. According to the Job Accommodations Network (JAN), employees with PTSD (CPTSD is not yet recognized in the US) may experience the following:

· Attentiveness/Concentration
· Decreased Stamina/Fatigue
· Executive Functioning
· Managing Time
· Memory Loss
· Mental Confusion
· Organizing/Planning/Prioritizing
· Stress Intolerance

If you are experiencing any of these or other limitations, you may qualify for accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990).

ADA & Accommodations

“According to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), an individual with a disability is a person who: Has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, has a record of such an impairment or is regarded as having such an impairment (Disability Discrimination).”

Along with the ADA, Congress also passed a civil rights law called the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAA), which protects individuals with disabilities from discrimination in the workplace, school, and other settings.

We are not going to go into great detail about the ADA and ADAA except to say that if an individual has a disability, employers are required to provide “reasonable accommodations.”

What is a Reasonable Accommodation?

“Reasonable accommodation is any change or adjustment to a job or work environment that permits a qualified applicant or employee with a disability to participate in the job application process, to perform the essential functions of a job, or to enjoy benefits and privileges of employment equal to those enjoyed by employees without disabilities.

An employer is required to provide a reasonable accommodation to a qualified applicant or employee with a disability unless the employer can show that the accommodation would be an undue hardship — that is, that it would require significant difficulty or expense.” (https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/your-employment-rights-individual-disability)

Job Accommodations Network

One resource I found particularly helpful in learning more about the ADA and the accommodations available for employees with disabilities is The Job Accommodations Network. (JAN) They are “the leading source of free, expert, and confidential guidance on job accommodations and disability employment issues.”

JAN has a resource that walks you through requesting and negotiating a reasonable accommodation with your employer under the ADA.

Self-advocacy

What is it?

“An individual’s ability to effectively communicate, convey, negotiate or assert his or her own interests, desires, needs, and rights. It involves making informed decisions and taking responsibility for those decisions” (VanReusen et al., 1994).

Self-Advocacy and Trauma Survivors

One might think that advocating for the things you want or need is not a big deal, but it is for the survivor of childhood trauma.

As children, we were taught that our needs did not matter or that appeasing our abuser was the highest priority for our survival, and it was. As adults, we may not even be aware that we are allowed to have needs and that our needs are allowed to be different from someone else’s. We might feel as though we are being selfish or God-forbid, “needy.”

I was in my 50s when I learned that I was allowed to have my own individual needs, which totally blew my mind. The first challenge for trauma survivors is to recognize that they have needs that are specific to them AND that it’s OK to have those needs. Asking for help to perform better in the workplace is a good thing.

The second challenge for trauma survivors is understanding their needs and how to communicate them.

It is difficult to clearly identify what we actually need. Our frustration tells us there is a gap somewhere because we are struggling, but we may need to figure out exactly what we need.

When I struggled with my startle response at work because co-workers would come into my cube unannounced, and I had my back to the opening, I didn’t know what to do with that. I tried to educate them by asking them not to do that, but that was not very effective.

It is OK not to know what you need in the moment. Think about the situation and what happens in your body that impacts your ability to function. When X happens, I X. In my case, when someone comes into my cube unannounced, I jump out of my skin, my heart pounds profusely, and I am ready to “fight” the person coming into my cube.

Another thing I struggled with was the noise. People talking all around me would overwhelm my nervous system, and I could not concentrate on what I was working on.

The third challenge survivors face is negotiation. This is a tough one, especially when/if we are not truly convinced that we are allowed to have needs or that our needs matter. This will take you drawing upon the courage that brought you through your trauma and applying it to this situation.

To negotiate, you have to be anchored in the present and have your brain fully online. Operating from a triggered state of powerlessness will not help you negotiate for what you need.

For many of us, it was not safe to push back when we were children, so that is why we need to remind ourselves that we are adults now and that we can do that. Doing this for the first time is not easy, so you might want to practice with a friend, therapist, or coach.

When I was trying to negotiate an accommodation for my cube problem, my heart was beating out of my chest, my stomach was in a knot, and I wanted to throw up. It was pretty scary.

The accommodations person I was working with wanted to hang a curtain in front of my door, and I was negatively reacting to that because I was not ready to answer the questions that would surely come as a result.

I had all the negative talk in my mind, “Oh, she thinks she is special…” I told her that her suggestion would draw attention to me, which I did not want, and I provided her with an alternative solution, a rolling whiteboard.

As a process designer, I already had 12 whiteboards hanging up in my cube. What was one more? No one would suspect anything. She agreed that I could wheel it in front of the opening when I needed privacy.

As for the noise, I got a noise-canceling headset to help with that.

In Conclusion

This is what I want you to take with you: 1) your company hired you because they thought you were capable and competent to do the job, 2) you want to do the best job you can for them and your career advancement, and 3) companies are generally willing to provide employees what they need in order for them to do a good job because it helps them be successful. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need in order to succeed.

Questions for Further Consideration

· How comfortable are you with advocating for yourself?

· What limitations are you experiencing, and how do they impact your job performance?

· What is the next step you need to take to make your work environment safe for you?

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