Helping employees through the New York and Texas mass shootings

The last few weeks have been very difficult ones in America. First, there was the Buffalo, New York shootings where a gunmen set out to shoot and kill Black people in a grocery store. He succeeded in killing 10. Next there was the Uvalde Texas shootings where a shooter went into a school and killed 19 fourth grade children and two teachers. Coming off the last two years of COVID and social unrest, employees continue to reel. 

It seems as if one thing after another keeps happening, and this repeated direct or indirect traumatization can lead to stress and mental health issues. To further complicate things, social media and the news in all forms, continues to replay the events, further re-traumatizing us. And the fact that these events are not the first ones to have occurred and the perceived inaction of those in power to stop this is only adding to the anxiety. As a point of reference, this is the 27th school shooting this year.

Read more: Mental health is the most requested employee benefit. Here's how employers can help

For all of the above reasons, it is imperative that all employers respond to these events and their aftereffects. The end of the event is not the end of the effects. These can last a lifetime for people and organizations. Responding is not only good for a company’s financial bottom line and recruitment and retention of employees, but also it is the right thing to do. How an employer or organization responds in this kind of crisis well leave a long-lasting mark on how its employees feel that the company is valuing them.

In this vein, here are a few things that employers can and should do.

Make mental health the center point of your response — get out in front of it and openly discuss it.  No matter how you view this, it is the mental health of your employees that is and has been impacted. This leads to everything else, like fear, anxiety, depression and suicidality.  These are why you must keep the topic of mental health at the forefront now and into the future.  Do not stop talking about it when it is appropriate.  Doing this will allow others to feel that it is okay to talk about it.

Leadership should acknowledge what has occurred, that it may have an impact on people and that it is okay to ask for and seek help.  Further, there must be assurance that the company has resources for them to use confidentially.

Read more: Working parents need more mental health support for their children

Insure that mental health resources are available.  Make sure that your benefits cover mental health and make it easy for employees to access their services.  If not, you may want to determine how to help employees to have easier, affordable access.

Use your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) as a primary resource to assist in insuring service is provided to your employees.  That may mean providing increased coverage and consultation.

Provide on-site or virtual support group sessions to allow people to comfortably and safely share their feelings and reactions to these horrific events.  Remember that these events become very real for each of us in different ways, especially if you are a parent, a person of color or a teacher.  All of these people can identify or see themselves through these events.

Share resources for self-help and self-care.  This allows people who don’t feel comfortable sharing their feelings an safe and viable alternative.

Involve supervisors or managers.  These people are sometimes in the best position to reach out or respond to their employees.  They can be trained to have the conversations with their employees, identify those who seem in distress and in need of some help and how to get the resources that can be helpful.  Obviously this can be a very sensitive situation so the training is important in helping managers to learn how to be sensitive and empathic while at the same time not acting as mental health counselors.

Finally, if mental health and wellness are not a core part of your organization’s culture, this should be the time it becomes critical.  Use this opportunity to move a mental health and wellness strategy forward and keep it going.