I’ve had my fair share of demanding jobs and managers throughout my career, leading to several negative experiences, which increased my anxiety and, unfortunately, led me to people pleasing within the workplace. Workplace trauma can be defined as a distress reaction caused by a challenging experience in the workplace, such as physical violence, racial discrimination, sexual harassment, bullying, and even death. As a Black woman, one may experience discriminatory practices in the workplace that may impact their mental health or work performance. It’s generally considered a physical, mental, or emotionally distressing or disturbing experience in your work environment.
Although many consider workplace trauma to solely exist in highly physically or mentally demanding roles such as healthcare, emergency response, or psychiatric intervention—workplace trauma is not limited to any particular industry or job type. Instead, it is specific to incidents that occur in the workplace, such as aggressive company culture, mentally and emotionally abusive staff, assault/harassment, or tragic, traumatic accidents. From microaggressions to harsh criticism, unrealistic expectations, and discriminatory performance practices, navigating corporate workplace trauma hasn’t been easy. Workplace trauma, discrimination, and unfair treatment from managers or colleagues, especially amongst Black women, aren’t uncommon.
A 2020 Lean In report shared that microaggressions—comments and actions that subtly demean or dismiss someone based on their gender, race, or other aspects of their identity—are a common experience for women at work, mainly Black women. Given that Black women tend to face both racism and sexism within the workplace, they are susceptible to a wide-ranging net of microaggressions compared to their counterparts. In addition to microaggressions, some Black women are questioned about their expertise and asked to provide substantial evidence of their competence. The trauma of being the “only one” in the workplace is also present. Lean In reported that fifty-four percent of Black women say they are often “Onlys” in the workplace, meaning that they are the only Black person or one of the only Black people in the room at work, which tends to cause more anxiety and unnecessary pressure within the workplace. Black women are considered “Onlys” and often report feeling closely watched, on guard, and under increased pressure to perform.
Lean In’s 2022 report noted that Latinas and Black women are significantly less likely than women of other races and ethnicities to report their manager regularly shows interest in their career development, hindering career expansion and income growth. According to entrepreneur, career expert, and CEO of Pharrell William’s Black Ambition Opportunity Fund, Felecia Hatcher, we’re not discussing workplace trauma enough as a culture, as we tend to focus on unpacking family or relationship trauma. Experience with trauma in the workplace is insidious and seeps into the fabric of who we are and how we show up or not in our work environment. She believes it can be soul-crushing and debilitating to your productivity, performance, and career trajectory.
“Workplace trauma can have severe impacts on anyone’s job performance, and this is especially true for Black women who often face a unique set of challenges due to intersectionality – the convergence of multiple social identities such as race and gender. Experiences of trauma at work, which can include toxic leadership, racial microaggressions, passive aggressiveness, unclear expectations, discriminatory practices, or overt harassment, can lead to heightened stress, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion for those who already experience this in their everyday experiences. These factors reduce productivity and undermine confidence and self-esteem, which are essential to effective workplace performance. Over time, this emotional toll can lead to burnout, absenteeism, and even attrition,” she says to ESSENCE.
Hatcher continues, “Moreover, workplace trauma can profoundly alter the job experience for Black women, fostering a hostile or isolating environment that further exacerbates the issue. It can undermine their safety and belonging, creating alienation and disengagement. This sense of being “othered” can prevent Black women from fully participating in or contributing to the workplace, stifling their creativity, innovation, and leadership potential. In the long term, this can limit their career growth and advancement opportunities, perpetuating a cycle of inequity and exclusion. Thus, organizations must prioritize inclusivity and take decisive actions to prevent and address workplace trauma.”
But how do you know when you’re suffering from workplace trauma, as it might not be easily identifiable? Psychotherapist Jessica Gaddy believes identifying workplace trauma requires honest vulnerability about experiences that may cause psychological symptoms, anxiety, depression, poor emotional regulation, and physiological symptoms such as lethargy, sleep disturbances, hypervigilance, and decreased immune system. “Often, we may misattribute ongoing mental and physical health issues, workplace burnout, decreased workplace performance, or isolation as personal flaws or imposter syndrome, believing that we are not fit to meet the demands of a challenging work environment. However, it is critical in these situations to objectively assess the culture and environment of the workplace to rule out signs of a toxic work environment or the aftermath of a traumatic work incident,” she states.
Career expert and founder of the Manifest Yourself platform, Kimberly Brown, believes in the importance of self-reflection to help identify and address your workplace trauma and to understand how it may affect other aspects of your life. “The first step in identifying workplace trauma is evaluating your responses to situations or people in the workplace and understanding if your anxiety level is manageable. Everyone has a different stress level that they can manage, and every job has a certain stress level considered normal. However, a key indicator that you’re experiencing workplace trauma is when the work stress begins to creep into other aspects of your life. Depending upon the severity level, it may be time to set better boundaries around your work and colleagues simply, or it may be time to see the help of a mental health professional,” she shares.
Also, this trauma may look different for Black women in the workplace as we’re not monolithic. Therapist Marline Francois says, “One may find that their levels of stress increase on Sunday night before the work week starts, before an important work meeting, or during an annual performance review. Furthermore, as a Black woman, identifying trauma must be from an intersectional lens that looks at how they experience trauma due to their race, class, and gender. Some may experience burnout, lack of focus on projects, trouble sleeping, muscle tension, conflict with colleagues, or digestive issues.”
According to Gaddy, the first step in resolving workplace trauma is recognizing changes in your own mental, emotional, and physiological well-being. “Assessing the frequency, duration, and precipitants of the symptoms will allow space to break down and process the triggers of emotional and behavioral responses to trauma. Connecting with a licensed professional therapist or your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Counselor may offer an opportunity and safe space to process any triggers or trauma you may be recognizing and guide you towards establishing healthy workplace boundaries, such as preparing for difficult conversations with leadership or HR, developing hard start/stop work times, advocating for compressed work schedules, and/or exploring options for Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) for job-protected time-off,” she says.
Here are signs of workplace trauma:
Recurring mental health issues: Unfortunately, trauma in the workplace can lead to ongoing mental health issues. Depending on the person, this may include anxiety, depression, panic attacks, and problems regulating your emotions.
Physical health issues: Workplace trauma can include problems with physical health, like exhaustion, difficulty relaxing, sleep issues, and physical pain.
Flashbacks: People who experience trauma may have flashbacks to the traumatic event(s) within the workplace, feeling like they’re reliving the incident.
Increased reactivity: Employees who’ve experienced trauma at work may be hyper-reactive, more prone to anger and irritability—and may react in a way that’s not appropriate for the situation they’re experiencing.
Burnout: To deal with traumatic events, some employees throw themselves into work, which causes burnout.
People-pleasing: Employees who’ve experienced workplace trauma usually try their hardest not to share it again, even if it wasn’t their fault. Employees may resort to people-pleasing to diminish perceived tension and keep the peace.
Here are additional ways to overcome workplace trauma, according to Francois.
Be real with yourself: It is crucial to be honest with your feelings, behaviors, and patterns within the workplace to identify one’s triggers and symptoms of distress.
Increase your support system: One should increase their support system, whether in the workplace or with a small group of trusted individuals with similar lived experiences that understand the impact of workplace trauma.
Seek outside help: Some places of employment offer EAP (Employment Assistance Program) services where one can seek short-term therapy sessions to navigate workplace stressors and trauma. “Suppose an individual has been working with a therapist and has found their physiological symptoms to exacerbate while dealing with workplace trauma. In that case, they can see if they can take a short-term leave from their place of employment to mitigate the stressors,” Francois says.