Ian J. Cook, CHRP
In my early twenties I crashed my car. It was a high-speed crash and I was lucky to escape with a strained thumb and a bruised ego. (I am now old enough to admit this without shame.) The crash happened late at night and it took me several hours to get home and then most of the next day to deal with the fall out. Over 18 hours after the initial crash I went into shock. I don’t mean shock like a scary movie. I mean medical shock where you physically react; I had shakes, cold sweats and I re-lived the crash over and over and over in my head. Then I slept for 14 hours.
Shock is a natural physiological reaction to extreme events. Shock happens after the event and often takes hold once some feeling of security or stability has been reached. It affects everyone – the symptoms will vary depending on the individual and their physical and mental health. It is not something that can be avoided. It is something that can be monitored, managed, mitigated and reduced.
On reviewing 2009, we can anticipate that a large number of people and organizations will be experiencing some form of shock this year. Many of the events in 2009 should be viewed as extreme. The volume and pace of the layoffs – unemployment in B.C. doubled in less than 12 months. The economic uncertainty and continued fear of more layoffs. The widespread impacts on personal finances whether real or perceived. All of these factors created a genuine sense of crisis and the common experience of 2009 was of living through a crisis.
As we enter 2010 there is a sense that the crisis is resolving. There is more optimism and stability. The economic news may not be getting better, but it is not getting worse. These are the conditions that give people the breathing space to calm down from their hyper-alert levels of stress and this is when shock sets in. In a workplace setting, this type of shock may show up in many different ways. Some of these include poor performance, increased absenteeism, unexpected bouts of anger or silence, disengagement and potentially a drive to get away to a different place or situation. All of these have negative impacts on the overall business and all of these impinge on the work of the HR function.
Anticipating the response to the end of the crisis allows us to prepare. Some of the areas to focus on are reinforcing / re-communicating how your Employee Assistance Program works and how it can be accessed. Other areas to look at are your approach to wellness and encouraging people to participate. This type of situation is where your wellness investment can have a significant return. Regular exercise is a key component in stress reduction which helps to mitigate the effects of the post crisis shock.
Alongside these two areas you should be looking very clearly to your retention needs. Now is exactly the time when disaffected talent will look to move and it will be your best people who are able to move. Recent information from the U.S. predicts that anywhere from 40%-60% of people plan to change jobs once the economy recovers. In B.C. the vacancy rate for jobs has increased 50% since the first quarter of this year. Proactive steps such as instigating “stay” interviews or ensuring that your line managers are talking to your important players about their engagement levels and views of the organization will help to keep the right people or forewarn you of areas where you may need to replace top people.
The final role for HR in mitigating the effects of shock is an influencing and coaching role. The best antidote to shock is to focus on a clear and credible description of the future. Regaining your confidence that life goes on is at the core of overall human and organizational resilience. It is the role of the organization’s leaders to develop and instill this confidence. It is the role of HR to help these leaders realize this need and meet it with authenticity. Shock cannot be avoided; it is a natural reaction to extreme events. However, by taking the steps outlined above it can be managed, reduced, and mitigated leading to enhanced outcomes for your organization.