Many work-related factors can impact mental well-being and potentially cause or contribute to psychological harm (i.e. stress, anxiety, distress, trauma). They may relate to the particular work that people do for the BBC (which may be traumatic or distressing in some way, for example reporting in hostile environments, making documentaries on sensitive subjects, viewing graphic images) or more to daily factors relevant to the BBC. any workplace, such as workload, sense of control, work relationships, etc. It’s important to remember that it’s not just about trauma and stress; people can experience a range of negative emotional reactions and psychological injuries as a result of the work they do for the BBC.
This aspect of mental health can also be called psychological safety. Psychological safety is about managing work-related risks that can cause psychological harm.
In terms of work-related stress, there are a well-studied set of factors that, when experienced negatively, can lead to work stress (job demands, relationships, sense of control, role clarity, support and change) and as a manager, it is important to understand and manage these factors to try to avoid/reduce stress at work. There are a number of tools to help you do this: the BBC Staff Survey and the Health and Safety Executives (HSE) model for managing stress (see external links section).
Psychological trauma can come from covering wars and violence, but also from natural disasters, intense human distress, serious trials or personal tragedies. People do not always have to be directly involved to be traumatized (called vicarious or secondary trauma) and trauma is not always one-time, it can also build up over time (repetitive or cumulative trauma). People can respond to trauma in a variety of ways, and most often their reactions build over time. In rare cases, people develop serious mental health problems, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and need professional help.
Advice for managers
As a manager, what steps can I take to reduce the risk of work-related mental health issues/manage psychological safety within my team?
There are three key areas to consider in order to reduce the impact of work-related factors on mental health.
- Identify specific risks in the workplace and try to remove/reduce them where possible. It’s basically asking if there is anything that can be done differently when people are put “at risk” because of their work, whether it’s reporting in a war zone, from making a documentary on a distressing subject to managing a difficult workload. . Sometimes there are factors that are difficult or impossible to remove/reduce, because they are inherent in work practices or cultural norms for example, but it is important to try to understand and grasp the risks and think about the how people can experience psychological harm at work. The same way it is done for physical security risks. You can discuss with your local security advisor how to identify psychological risks to your teams (as well as program contributors) and develop a risk assessment that considers psychological risks to the program/deployment/ project as well as physical risks. Please see the recommended links section for a sample psychological safety risk assessment to discuss with your safety advisor.
- When psychological risks in the workplace have been identified, it is important to develop control measures. These will be situation specific, but may involve things like changing the frequency and duration of exposure to psychological risks (whether distressing content or burden excessive work), consideration of breaks and rest periods, introduction of strategies to manage exposure to cumulative trauma, discussion of potential psychological risks before, during and after a mission/program ( particularly in terms of trauma, as it serves to normalize reactions people may experience and encourage help-seeking), ensuring people know what to do if they have been affected (i.e. i.e. personal care, support services).
- Provide or report support for those affected: if a person suffers from psychological problems or experiences a significant negative reaction to their work, appropriate support should be provided. This may include the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), a BBC Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) assessment, occupational health, the individual’s GP or other external services. You can also contact the HR Manager Advisory Service for assistance.
“Guidance is also available for program teams on managing the psychological safety and wellbeing of contributors to BBC programs (see Useful materials).”
What help is available?
BBC employees can access confidential information, training and support regarding the assessment and management of potential trauma/psychological risks (see recommended links).
The BBC also has a network of trained staff who can advise and support colleagues involved in a one-off traumatic event and identify those who need further professional help. They are trained using an approach called Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) which was pioneered in the British Army (see Useful Documents for a list of personnel trained by BBC TRiM).
BBC News Group has also produced videos and reference material on the trauma experienced when working in journalism. It involves witnessing, reporting on, producing, editing or recording news stories, all of which can elicit strong emotional reactions. There is also advice on managing psychological safety for those working with graphics equipment – see Recommended links.
It is important to remember that it is normal to experience strong feelings or reactions after witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event and does not necessarily mean that people will develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). . But people may need help or support to come to terms with this experience.
If you are involved in interviewing emotionally vulnerable people, you can also access training on this – see Recommended links for Interviewing Traumatized People training.
Where can I find out more?
You can find out more about the BBC’s approach to trauma support through the relevant links. You can also access details of upcoming TRiM courses if you are interested in becoming a practitioner for the BBC and supporting others. TRiM practitioners are also part of the BBC Mental Health Network, which also includes Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA).
The BBC’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides specialist psychological trauma support. This combines the provision of structured telephone counseling and a trauma program where appropriate. One of the things that many people find helpful is understanding their reactions as normal responses to an abnormal event.
Understanding what’s happening in their body and brain can give them a sense of control. Importantly, they can then help their body and brain calm down and move on from the event using proven strategies. To access the EAP, please see details in the Recommended Links section.
