Your Lifehack to Organizational Self-Care!

Single most important factor that negatively impacts health and wellbeing in organizational contexts is the organization itself: how does the agency works, how leadership relates to staff, what kind of human resource support systems are present, whether teams are cohesive or not, and whether the context and culture of the organization is supportive of growth and development. Employment conditions have significant influence on the health and wellbeing of staff.

Your Professional Self-Care Activity

• What made you choose this line of work?
• What keeps you going and sustains you as a trauma worker?
• What concrete strategies allows you to remain healthy at work?
• If you were to do it all over again, would you do anything differently?
• Reflecting on you successes, how have you made a difference to others?
• Is this still the right job for you?

Examples of Professional Self-Care

• Take a break during the workday (e.g. lunch)
• Take time to chat with co-workers
• Make quiet time to complete tasks
• Identify projects or tasks that are exciting and rewarding
• Set limits with your clients and colleagues
• Balance your caseload so that no one day or part of a day is “too much”
• Arrange your work space so it is comfortable and comforting
• Get regular supervision or consultation
• Negotiate for your needs (benefits, pay raise)
• Have a peer support group
• Develop a non-trauma area of professional interest

How Healthy is Your Organization?

Organizations have significant capacity to create work environments that prevent negative impact of vicarious trauma on staff and even enhance thriving in challenging environments.

• How does the agency work?
• How leadership relates to staff?
• What kind of HR support systems are present?
• Are teams cohesive or not?
• Is the context and culture of the organization supportive of growth and development?
• Is self-care practiced by team and leadership?
• Is self-care encouraged? How?

Leadership’s Responsibility

            Leadership  (including Boards) have primary ethical responsibility for creating environments for staff that promotes health and supports individual self care.While personal self care works, in contexts where people are denied the opportunity to make use of these skills and knowledge then individual health is compromised. Most effective way to prevent and treat burnout or compassion fatigue is through sound organizational processes rather than individual self-care plans.

Examples of Organizational Self-Care Practices

• Allocate  $50/staff /month for self-care. Staff discussed what can be reimbursed for self-care (ex.: massage, tank of gas to take a trip, hair & nail  care, acupuncture, etc)
• All direct staff works only 4 days a week but making the same amount of salary as when they work 5 days a week.
• Leadership/Board demonstrates commitment to wellness daily.
• Leadership/Board facilitate team building activities with staff. A lot of appreciation being shared.
• Training, workshop or sharing of tools, resources of self care.
• Learning your colleagues personality/work style
• Adhering to strict 9-5 schedule
• No work emails on personal phones
• Professional support groups/wellness groups

What Can You Start Doing For Your Organizational Health Today?

• Share your insights about this blog with your colleagues and leadership
• Assess your professional self-care plan
• Develop personal sustainable self-care plan
• Start a self-care support group at work
• Celebrate personal and professional successes
• Invite leadership to assess your organizational culture of self-care and sustainability
• As an organization, start taking steps towards improving your organizational health and practices

Want to know more about organizational cultures of self-care, vicarious trauma prevention and sustainability? Attend our Thriving YOU! Vicarious Trauma Prevention Institute-amazing event held in Orlando, Florida on March 4th, 2016! (www.olgaphoenix.com/thrivingyou). Thriving YOU! Institute is a place to learn, practice, recharge, and connect-an ultimate blueprint to living healthy and content while thriving in a trauma-related field! Early Bird Special is over on January 16th, 2016.  If getting away is simply impossible or if you’d like your entire staff to participate-Thriving YOU! Vicarious Trauma Prevention Institute can  come to you! Just email me at olga@olgaphoenix.com and we’ll set it up!