When Tragedies and Crises Occur

We have all been shaken and disturbed by the recent disappearance of the Air France plane over the Atlantic.

There have also been reports of violence in the workplace as people have lost their jobs or have let their tensions flair with a coworker.

When times are hard, either due to a struggling economy or due to sudden and challenging news, a crisis can overwhelm both an organization and the individuals within it.

When there is a crisis in an organization, it affects many people. Not only does it affect management trying to control the public relations aspect, but also the employees can be affected both directly and indirectly.

When tragedies and crises occur, the following suggestions can often help individuals within affected organizations better handle the situation:

• Be aware of your own feelings. It is normal to have strong emotions when a tragedy occurs within or around your organization.

• Share these feelings with your family and get their support. Also, be aware of their emotions because they have been affected as well.

• If your organization has an employee assistance program (EAP), you may want to discuss with a counselor how you are dealing with this unfortunate situation in your workplace.

• If you are having continued issues at work because of a workplace tragedy, you should approach your immediate supervisor or Human Resources to discuss how it may be affecting your work and what needs you have to help you overcome these concerns.

• Know that time is a great healer, but if you are not progressing through these strong emotions, and it is affecting your work for six or more months, you may need to solicit outside professional help in this area.

Whenever a crisis occurs in the world, we immediately hear about it and are affected by the news. When it happens in our own workplace, it becomes much more real, and therefore, it is important to share your feelings and what your needs are to be able to handle the situation better and re-stabilize yourself in the workforce. Don't underestimate the repercussions of a crisis. Dealing with emotions in the wake of tragedy is absolutely critical in every aspect of life. In the workplace, allowing challenging emotions to keep you off balance and unproductive only creates more instability and greater opportunity for further crisis.