Fostering Post Traumatic Growth in The Face of A Crisis
Multiple wildfires continue to rage across Southern California — with no end in sight — marking what is projected to be the most financially devastating wildfires in American history.
The Los Angeles golf community, steeped in history, is not immune to the unfolding crisis. While golf courses are typically associated with recreation and camaraderie, the current reality is far more sobering.
Every golf club in the region will feel the impact — whether through operational disruptions, environmental damage, or the personal toll on employees and members. During this crisis, leadership must take proactive steps to safeguard their workforce and support the broader community. Strategic planning and compassionate management will be essential to recovery, ensuring the industry's resilience and the well-being of those who sustain it.
Traumatic events always have some impact on workforce productivity. Leadership's responsibility is to foster a culture of post-traumatic growth (PTSG). This is a recent phenomenon that is undergoing research, and it allows people to navigate stress with proactive and communal actions rather than experiencing the fight-or-flight response usually associated with traumatic events and PTSD.
To restore productivity, it is essential to use the support of a clinician on-site where the employees may experience increased stress. Golf course employees may feel more pressure to maintain their professionalism and productivity during traumatic stress because customers usually access their services for stress relief. With the fires in Southern California, both customers and employees were severely impacted. This makes having a road map for navigating traumatic events now more critical than ever.
Crisis Response Services Used for Events Include: • Natural Disasters • Death of a Colleague or Co-worker • Organizational Change or Merger • Mass Layoffs • Media Exposure
A Crisis Incident Response (CIR) is a standard service for most Employee Assistance Programs. A certified Employee Assistance Professional or Licensed Clinician will go to the event site and offer counseling for individuals and groups of employees who need immediate support. This expert will also educate leadership on how to address and educate their employees about trauma in the workplace. Clinicians also help teams be mindful of how trauma symptoms may persist and what to look for in employees. This is an invaluable resource for employers and is widely used by companies who employ EAPs for their staff. For clubs navigating the fires in California, the need for this support may be immediate as many employees cannot work because of course closures or have lost their homes.
Clubs can expect the following from CIR services: • Immediate coaching and guidance on announcements and communication to employees. • Confidential on-site counseling for individuals and groups. • Follow-up trauma-informed counseling services for employees. • Flexible timing options with guidance on what may be most effective and utilized depending on the event.
Since the impact of trauma can be lingering, the flexibility of this service is imperative, and understanding the nature of trauma can help management ensure their employees get the support they need when they need it. HR and managers often reach out for help immediately after the event. In those moments, managers need more support than the employees. Clinicians can help management make decisions that can support their staff's productivity in the short term. Still, the stress of trauma usually doesn't impact the emotional stability of individuals until two weeks after the event.
Before the two-week period, symptoms of trauma are natural and, honestly, healthy. People need time to grieve, process and mourn the changes that result from certain events. Although symptoms may be severe, if they begin to dissipate after two weeks, the diagnosis of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) is not appropriate.
During the two weeks, clubs may still be trying to navigate logistical issues to keep the facilities safe and open. With the fires, damage assessment and safety are top priorities. Partnering with a clinician and consultant to ensure that managers and staff are emotionally supported in making these decisions is essential to returning to baseline operations as quickly as possible.
Clubs Will Benefit from Proactive Use of CIR Services By: • Having space to process the emotional impact stress has on the body. • Understanding the nature of trauma and guidance around the impact timeline. • Operational support is needed to ensure staff are emotionally and physically safe to work.
The events for which CIR services are appropriate are broad. Employees spend a huge percentage of their lives at the workplace, especially in the golf industry. A golf club's unique lifestyle/work environment can lead to extremely long hours and a powerful bond with colleagues.
Employees in the golf industry must utilize this resource more than any other. A key variable in developing a post-traumatic growth response is the strength of the work community. In golf, this can be profound. This also strengthens when clubs employ individuals with more social-emotional support for longer periods. Even when employees do not access the professional on-site during times of crisis, the option gives the sense that they are cared for and valued. Therefore, clubs need to know these services exist, even if employees are directly asking for them.
Many people don't know what they need following a traumatic event. People look for solutions, resolutions, safety and community.
However, talking about the experience is the first step in reaching those goals. Whether it's grieving the loss of a colleague, navigating environmental shifts in the workplace, both structural and physical, or a natural disaster, accessing the emotional and organizational support of a trained workplace behavioral health clinician can offer some ease and direction for management to rely on.
