Workplace Risks Shouldn’t Mirror Risks of Service Members:  An Article on The Rise of PTSD Caused By Bad leadership Even In A Remote Workplace.

By: Stephanie Diana Eubank

When the phrase Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) is uttered most of us think of the term shell shock and think of our brave service members and how this disorder affects them.  However, as detailed in the article, McMenamin (2021); published on the BBC PTSD is a growing issue in the workplace both in person and remotely.  The issue detailed in, McMenamin (2021); are not that people are coming into the workplace having PTSD but, rather people are developing in the workplace.  Welcome to the growing term and phenomenon of Workplace PTSD and Workplace CPTSD. 

The issue is both employees being abused in the workplace and developing workplace PTSD and those who have been suffering from what is called Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) where employees are being abused from one company to another.  There are also employees trying to recover from workplace PTSD from previous abuse because they cannot afford to take time off to recover.  The worst part about this phenomenon is that it isn’t new.

The article, Staglin (2022); which was published in Forbes comments on the fact that this has been a long-term issue with no name in the business industry.  There is something to say about the trauma that can be found in emotionally labor focused jobs like customer service and sales jobs. Also, there is something to discuss in remote work and essential onsite workers during the pandemic seeing some truly disturbing things and dealing with stress on unparallel levels.

Whereby some trauma is uncontrollable.  However, there are a lot of examples as detailed in, Petereit-Haack et al., (2020); of this being a more pervasive issue due to management being toxic and not knowing how to lead.  Which from my personal experience has been a significant factor in leadership also becoming traumatized by stress at work, promoting toxic people by other toxic leaders, and a general lack of understanding from leadership the difference between fear and respect.

Toxic workplaces where things like racism, agism, disability shaming, bullying, gaslighting, screaming among other Human Resource No, no’s also can contribute to PTSD and CPTSD in the workplaces.  Some, of these behaviors can become pervasive and embedded into organizational culture. However, attitudes are an overall reflection of leadership.  Although remote work allows for more diversity in the workplace and allows room to document and stop these behaviors it is not impossible to make a toxic workplace in a remote workplace.  It is hard to imagine however, I have experienced it firsthand even in a remote workplace. Worst of all many companies rather cover up the abuse and gaslight workers by saying that they cannot handle the wonderful leaders they have and their methods of authentic leadership.  (Which is a perverted interpretation of authentic leadership.  See, my article on authentic leadership.)

PTSD and having a toxic workplace that can contribute to PTSD in the workplace is a serious issue for business.  Not just for the obvious reasons of potential lawsuits for hostile work environments. According to, Bass (2019); employees who are suffering from PTSD in the workplace are less productive and have a lower morale.  When depression from PTSD gets bad enough employees can become a danger to themselves and others. 

So, the question becomes how should a business work towards fixing this problem?

1. When a manager has multiple people reporting a hostile work environment or a revolving door of employees, Human Resources should take notice and do some training for that leader.
2. Develop some communications training for all staff.  It will help keep everyone on the same page and address these issues.
3. Teach leaders how to lead or prefer to promote and hire leaders with recommendations from past employees, not just employers.  How your team or past employees speak about working with you speaks miles about you more than anything else in a background check.
4. Companies should work to give room for employees to speak out on bad behavior to address where all parties might need training.  This specific type should be room to speak out without reprisals. 
5. Remote work, which gives room for employees to set healthy boundaries and room to heal from past workplace trauma, is also a helpful tool.  In-person makes it, so those who suffer from any disability or different abilities feel a need to mask their needs to blend in.  This can be stressful and slow healing as employees regain confidence in their jobs. This remote is a great tool.

For additional information about workplace PTSD and CPTSD, here are some great books to check out:

• https://amzn.to/3TBUKBS
  • Harder, H. G., Wagner, S., & Rash, J. (2016). Mental illness in the workplace: Psychological disability management. Taylor and Francis.
• https://amzn.to/3eK95O1
  • Tehrani, N. (2011). Managing trauma in the workplace: Supporting workers and Organizations. Routledge.
• https://amzn.to/3TCKRnx
  • Nadeau, K. G. (1997). “Add in the workplace: Choices, changes, and challenges” (1st ed.). Routledge; 1st edition.
• https://amzn.to/3TmLphI
  • Manning, K. (2021). The empathetic workplace. HarperCollins Leadership, an imprint of HarperCollins.

Remember, sharing is caring, and please feel free to share workplace incidents that felt traumatic. It is good for helping with the healing process.

Work Cited

McMenamin, L. (2021, April 19). Why long-term workplace trauma is a real phenomenon. BBC Worklife. Retrieved October 20, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210415-why-long-term-workplace-trauma-is-a-real-phenomenon

Manion, L. (2022, February 4). When trauma is triggered at work. NAMI. Retrieved October 20, 2022, from https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/February-2022/When-Trauma-Is-Triggered-at-Work

Staglin, G. (2022, October 12). Trauma at the workplace, what to do about it. Forbes. Retrieved October 20, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/onemind/2021/11/10/trauma-at-the-workplace–and-what-to-do-about-it/?sh=6c3953b439e1

Petereit-Haack, G., Bolm-Audorff, U., Romero Starke, K., & Seidler, A. (2020). Occupational risk for post-traumatic stress disorder and trauma-related depression: A systematic review with meta-analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(24), 9369. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17249369

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7765156/

Bass, B. (2019, August 8). Increasing awareness of the impact of PTSD in the Workplace. Sedgwick. Retrieved October 20, 2022, from https://www.sedgwick.com/blog/2019/08/08/increasing-awareness-of-the-impact-of-ptsd-in-the-workplace