Our Covid-19 workplace (office and virtual) is going to become an even more integral part of how individuals and communities recover and heal. We will need employers to solve the immense logistical, physical, and psychological safety challenges that will allow us to settle into our version of the new normal. At the same time, we will be leaning heavily on managers to be completely committed to their evolving role.
The good news is that human beings possess a strong instinct to stabilize. Trauma is not destiny. We can rewire our brains and reset our coping and self-regulation capacity. It takes time and does not necessarily follow a singular smooth path to healing, but it is possible. Managers are already positioned across our organizations with the most direct access to each employee. If we want our organizations to withstand the long-term effects of Covid-19, and help our employees find their new normal, we must train our managers to become trauma-sensitive.
