Creating a Trauma-Informed Workplace to Support Mental and Physical Safety
Workplace trauma affects a wide range of employees—employers who prioritize flexible policies, non-judgmental communication, and mental health resources create safer, more resilient teams.
- By Alissa Cassidy
- Jul 17, 2025
When a person has endured trauma, it impacts who they are. As an employer, one of the best things you can do for your employees is to know what they need and how you can support them.
Whether a person has healed and moved on from their trauma or they are currently working through it, it will affect them for the rest of their lives. It becomes a part of them. Having an employer and workplace that supports them can have a significantly positive impact.
Here are some ways to create a trauma-informed workplace and ensure safety for all of your employees.
Signs of Trauma
Nearly 60 million people (one in five) in the United States are living with a mental health disorder, according to the most recent statistics. Furthermore, over half of all adults have experienced some sort of trauma in their lives.
It’s important for employers to know that many traumatic events can lead to mental illnesses (PTSD, anxiety, depression) and that people who already have a mental health disorder, and then experience a traumatic event, may have a harder time healing.
Common signs and symptoms of trauma may include:
- panic attacks, anxiety, feeling edgy
- withdrawal
- emotional highs and lows
- flinching at (or having more extreme reactions to) loud noises
- difficulty concentrating
- anticipation that normal life events won’t occur
- self-medication/substance abuse
- risky/reckless behaviors
Causes of Trauma
Trauma is deeply personal. What is traumatic for one person may not be for another. However, some events are likely to be traumatic for most people, such as:
- mass shootings
- natural disasters that result in extreme loss
- domestic abuse (verbal, emotional, financial, physical)
- sexual abuse/harassment
- serious car accidents
- witnessing violence
Additionally, some industries are more at-risk for experiencing traumatic events than others. EMS, police, firefighters, and healthcare workers see deeply troubling situations every day.
Even working in the heat, without protections like mandatory rest and hydration breaks, which are banned in Florida, can cause serious on-the-job trauma. However, in California, Colorado, Washington, and Oregon, which are among the safest states for outdoor workers, there are laws specifically protecting workers who labor in the outdoor heat.
How to Support Employees
Creating a supportive environment for all employees, not just those who have experienced trauma, makes everyone feel safe, welcome, and worthy. Ensure that your employees know they are valued by
- using non-judgmental language (do not dismiss or minimize feelings).
- training managers and supervisors on how to have open dialogue and communication to normalize mental health, validate feelings, use empathy, set boundaries, and build trust.
- ensuring confidentiality around sensitive topics.
- offering flexible work hours/days so employees can attend doctor appointments and take off for mental health days without feeling scrutinized.
- offering work-from-home options when available.
- providing quiet office space.
- offering EAP (employee assistance programs) and WLB (work-life balance programs).
Maintaining a routine and keeping a sense of normalcy can be critical in helping a person heal from trauma. That’s why it’s so important to create a trauma-informed workplace. Safety, both mental and physical, must be ensured.
Providing work-life balance programs, offering flexible hours and schedules, ensuring therapy benefits are in employee insurance packages, and requiring proper management training are some of the most important ways to ensure your workplace feels safe for your employees.