Emotional Terrors in the Workplace: Protecting Your Business Bottom Line - Emotional Continuity Management in the Workplace

An Anti-Terrorism policy should be strong enough to withstand an F-5 Emotional Tornado . That means any policy you craft needs amazing roots and an incredible amount of flexibility. When any policy is in place it becomes exquisitely clear who the players are. This is even more clear when creating a policy to manage an Emotional Terrorist at the work site. Emotional Terrorists will offer grand and creative resistance. A strong policy clarifies the boundaries and that can set up a reactionary environment until the policy is standardized, tested and supported by the administration. Those employees who do not like boundaries, like Emotional Terrorists, will feel compelled to act, react , respond, go overt, go covert, or create spinning in others. While other employees whine and complain and inevitably either exit or adjust to the situation, Emotional Terrorists will escalate their agenda to not be bound by the rules of others. The creation of a policy often illuminates a hidden terrorist instantly if their resistance becomes visible. Knowing and expecting this is useful if you are grounded in good theories and procedures prior to implementation and announcements of new policy.

The following is an introduction to how you might start thinking how you are going to develop components for your No Emotional Terrorism at the Work Site Policy:

A "No-Spinning-Allowed" Policy

1. Develop and define the limitations your organization is able or willing to manage if confronted by emotional disruptions from small to catastrophic

2. Demand Zero Tolerance for going beyond the level defined as tolerable by your organization

3. Build into the policy enough room to handle the strong human emotions of extenuating circumstances, natural disasters, man made disasters, and unexpected events

4. Build into the policy a pre- and post-Disaster Emotional support and Management program such as Critical Incident Stress Management, Defusings, Debriefings, Training, Counseling, EAP, or Ongoing Intervention Strategies

5. Create a close relationship between Legal, Human Resources, Security, Internal Auditing and Administration to develop procedures to track, evaluate, and measure Emotional intangibles and to protect all employees from Emotional Terrorists. This should be part of any Disaster Plan

6. Provide ongoing training for all strata of employees in the areas of understanding normal as well as abnormal human emotions and their relationship to the business world, and what happens to real people.

7. Supply ongoing training in Human Emotions Management to all staff (All means ALL. Anyone left out becomes a risk.)

Emotional Continuity Management Trainings Checklist

As you are creating your Emotional Continuity Training for teams and employees, you can use the following checklist to track your consistency:

• Does each module of training follow the same "scripted" procedure so that the information is uniform and repeatable?

• Is attending mandatory, because mandating attendance creates a sense of unity among participants and immediately limits options for spinning?

• Do follow-up meetings provide creative input and collaboration from all members ?

• Has there been buy-on from the top? The top-down process allows the administration/management to discover what employees are on board, who are potential company emotional saboteurs, and who are simply trainable "problem children."

• Does each module include practice time and drill for new tools, language, and concept acquisition? Adjustment and absorption of new ideas takes time and familiarity .

• Do units of education, or modules exceed teachable time frames ? Two hours for group education is appropriate, with shorter individual consultations when required. This process should add minimum emotional impact to the organization's functioning. Do not let lengthy trainings become fodder for emotional spinning.

• Do Emotional Continuity Management trainings have written policy and clearly defined statements for:

• Trainer qualifications

• Company mission and team visions

• Top organizational buy-on defined/clarified

• Rules for mandated participation and non-negotiable consequences for nonparticipation

• Expectations and timetables for skills practice and drills

• Value added incentives for participation

• Are reproducible documents prepared for:

  • Personnel interview charts

  • Models for explaining human emotions

  • Models for explaining human responses

  • Models for conflict resolution

  • Models for grief work and trauma management

  • Self-care tools ranging from simple to complex

  • Grading assessments

  • Models for managing individual differences

  • Systemwide back up plans

  • Systemwide back up plans for the back up plan

Administrative Buy-On Evaluation

(Rate the following between 1=Low and 10=High)

How well does administration support the Emotional Continuity Management Plan?

How completely has the Emotional Continuity Management Plan been incorporated into the Emergency Management Plan of the company?

How well have other departments in the company been notified about administrative buy-on?

How well have other departments supported the Emotional Continuity Management Plan?

How well supported is the need to practice and drill for emotional emergencies?

How extensive are the opportunities to drill for emotional emergencies?

How financially supported is the Emotional Continuity Management Plan?

How supportive is the administration about providing opportunities for training employees in emotional management?

How supportive is the administration about providing opportunities for training management emotional management?

How supportive is the administration about creating cooperative partnerships with other emergency response agencies prior to a disaster or emotional event?

How supportive is the administration about providing pamphlets, books, literature, posters , media education, and other hard-copy information on Emotional Continuity Management Planning?

How well do personnel know what they should do in an emergency to caretake their emotions?

How well prepared are you to manage extreme emotions in the workplace?

How well prepared are you to manage emotions resulting from a catastrophic disaster?

Qualifications Checklist for External Consultant or Emotional Continuity Management Trainer or Services Provider

Document the following:

• Formal training

• Informal training/experiences

• Real time disaster experience

• Continuing education

• Licensures

• License number and date of expiration/photocopy

• Malpractice Insurance

• Specialized training

• Experience

• References

• Special skills

• Special populations skills

• Availability

• Locations

• Types of services

• Application forms/process

• Photo ID

• Criminal background check including fingerprints

• Security clearance if needed

• Vehicular background check if needed

• Signed contract for services including clear fee arrangements

Steps for Writing a Quality Emotional Continuity Management Plan

Research

• Find your highest order of management style

• Explore a variety of possible forms

  • HOW:

  • Call someone in your position in another company for an Idea Meeting

  • Read magazines and books

  • Go to workshops or classes

Create a Blueprint

• Visualize your perfect style

• Take time to sketch or write your plan

  • HOW:

  • Create a notebook or journal of ideas

  • Draw pictures and doodles of your ideal work process

Decide and Commit

• Remove barriers

• Prepare the space

• Gather resources

• Survive first challenges

• Continue to commit

  • HOW:

  • Work for buy-on

  • See the big picture so there is no emergency in the planning stage

  • Continue your research and creative stages

  • Use challenges and obstacles as learning/teaching moments

  • Write and rewrite your plan as it continues to evolve into a final draft

Begin

• Take actions

• Safeguard resources

• Survive ongoing challenges

• Recommit

  • HOW:

  • Talk with others inside and outside your work: create networks

  • Review and strengthen your data base

  • Create professional documents and forms

  • Accept and review feedback with your ideals in mind

  • Review persistence materials

  • Begin implementation stages

Recall

• Review highest order ideals

• Review original visions

• Reconsider if appropriate

• Recommit and Continue

  • HOW:

  • Review previous stages with ideals in mind

  • Continue to face challenges with open mind and commitment

Beginning an Emotional Continuity Management Team

Part One: Constructing Your Team

• Who is on your Emotional Continuity Management Team?

  • Will they be trained and ready to get your company up and running during or after an incident?

• How do others respond to this team emotionally?

  • Are they well thought of in the organization? Trusted? Safe?

• Who will show up?

  • Have all members been trained in leadership to take over in case of loss of life?

• What does your company need to get back to 100% services?

  • Can it operate at 10%? 35%?

• What qualifications are acceptable to be on the Emotional Continuity Management team?

  • Have they been pre-screened for PTSD from any prior catastrophic incident?

  • Are they emotionally stable, mature, trained, and willing?

• Have they had sufficient training?

  • What levels of training are sufficient for your team members and leaders ?

• Are your emergency and disaster plans specific or generalized?

  • What is vague and what is specific?

• Have you tested your plan?

  • Has it been table talk or real-time drills and exercises?

• Have your team member discussed and planned for emotional shock , loss, and terror?

  • What support does your team have to manage their feelings when they are supporting others?

• Have all team member been trained to understand the variety of emotional reactions to expect in case of a catastrophic incident by a qualified disaster or trauma specialist or qualified Licensed Mental Health Professional?

• Who will replace you if you are not present? How would your team deal with losing you?

  • Does everyone know all the parts of the plan?

Part Two: Constructing Your Team Notebook

Minimum requirements should include:

• Team Composition

• Chain of authority

• Exit strategies

• Member list and all contact methods

• Collect verifications of qualifications of all team members

• Verification that all team members have been screened for PTSD and prior trauma

• Plans for changes in circumstances, shifts, time off

• Complete data about will your company require to return to 100%, 75%, 50%, 25% service levels

• Anticipated obstacles to complete recovery

• Written plans for the Emotional Continuity Management for specific incidents, even those that appear to be unlikely :

  • tornado

  • earthquake

  • suicide

  • cyber crime

  • shooting

  • fire

  • Emotional Terrorist

  • Winter storm

  • hurricane

  • chemical spill

  • shelter in place

• Extensive lists of local, regional, national and international recourses

• A chronology of how you have tested your plans and lessons learned data

• Reproducible copies of required or preferred forms or documents

• Emergency numbers for team members and families

• Complete written policy and procedures

• Company/Administrative buy-on statement

• List of insurances and legal support

• List of all employees under the domain of the Emotional Continuity Management Team