When we think “atypical” event, we tend to think sensationally. We think beheadings, brutal violence, mass shootings, terrible accidents, natural disasters. But those are the rarest things that disrupt our lives and work. Much more common are deaths of people we know, lay-offs, simple car accidents. They are atypical, but not rare.
Last year we changed our language for the kinds of events to which our networks respond. What we used to call a “crisis” or a “critical incident” we now call a “disruptive event.” “Critical incident response” is now “disruptive event management.” The move represented something of a risk. After all, the terminology of responding to atypical events was well established, and we could have been out of step with others in the field.
Interestingly, none of our fears about being out of step came true. At first there was some noise and confusion. Some thought the existing language was fine, and some thought we were somehow minimizing the potential for extraordinary events to cause harm to people who experienced them.
One particular incident encapsulated both our reasons for changing the language and the concern that we’d minimize the human experience. During a conference presentation, one attendee asked “If my coworker, a friend of mine, committed suicide over the weekend, calling it a ‘disruptive event’ feels like you think it’s not a big deal.” Without giving it much thought I said, “I wouldn’t call that a ‘disruptive event.’” When she looked puzzled I added, “I’d call that the death of someone you cared about.”
That reminded me – and gave me the chance to explain – that what we call something, from the standpoint of the professionals who are delivering the intervention, isn’t the same as the language we use with the people who are impacted. For the professionals, we changed the language because the natural human tendency in response to something that shakes us is to recover. By nature we bounce back; we are resilient. Very few people go on to have lasting consequences, even when the event is horrific. When we think of atypical events as a “crisis,” professionals tend to think the worst, and convey that worry to the people they want to help. But when we think of them as “disruptive,” it creates some head space in which to realize that, however bad the event seems, most people will be shaken up but recover their equilibrium. Only a few will be in trouble.
But the language of “disruptive events” is for the professionals. To the people impacted, we don’t need a technical word. We don’t want to describe it as a “crisis,” because for them it may or may not be. We also don’t want to minimize the potential impact. For a friend’s suicide, “disruptive event” just doesn’t begin to cover it.
So what’s the solution? Look at what’s happened and how people react, listen to what they have to say about it, and link them with whatever help they might need – if they need anything at all more than an empathetic ear. In other words, apply the principles of psychological first aid.
The lesson for the professionals with whom we work is that we need to offer help where needed, but resist the temptation to rescue or over-treat. The lesson for our customers is that our biggest job when an atypical event disrupts the workplace is to listen to and engage the impacted employees, by lending them an ear, engaging with them where they are, and helping them on the natural road to recovery.
About the Author: Dr. Les Kertay, Ph.D., ABPP, LP, a licensed and board certified clinical psychologist, provides clinical direction and perspective to all areas of R3 Continuum as chief medical officer. He brings extensive experience and expertise in the arena of mind-body health including disability medicine, chronic pain, health behaviors, and managing workplace absence. With over 15 years in executive leadership positions in the medical and vocational areas of the disability insurance industry, Dr. Kertay has presented at national and international conferences on topics related to the psychological aspects of work and disability, practical approaches to managing psychosocial issues in medical practice, pain management, somatoform and personality disorders, and professional ethics. Also, in addition to other publications, he is a contributor to three books on psychosocial aspects of complex disability claims and is lead editor for the AMA Guides to Navigating Disability Benefit Systems. Dr. Kertay is also a practicing clinician and industry consultant.
