24/7 Telephonic Support

When a disruptive event occurs, we naturally focus on addressing the immediate crisis, but helping employees heal and navigate the aftermath of an event is also essential. The same event may affect individual employees differently; and you can help them better recover by providing the right level of effective and convenient support they need, in a manner that is cost-effective for you.

 

After a disruptive event occurs in the workplace, such as an act of violence, a staff reduction, an accident or death, employees need immediate support to help process the event and regain their resilience. R3 Continuum’s telephonic support service helps employees by providing proactive emotional support, education, and coping suggestions.

 

Helping employees after a disruptive event

Aida sat at her kitchen nook, wiping errant tears from her eyes. She still couldn’t believe John had died that morning. She was one of the first to reach him after he collapsed on the factory floor. She thought she did everything right–compressing his chest in the rhythm she’d been taught at the company CPR class until a co-worker sprinted over with an AED. But sadly, even then, John never regained consciousness.

 

He was more than a co-worker; he was a friend. Even though he was a good thirty years older than she, they formed a connection when they started working at the loading dock together two years ago. John often said, “You should take classes at the community college!” once he knew she longed to be a chef, and not a long-term fork lift driver. “And don’t just take cooking classes, take the business classes too,” he said. “You’ll need that to be a successful entrepreneur!” he encouraged her.

 

Not many people believed in her dream, but John did. And now he was gone. The tears began to flow again. She couldn’t stop crying for more than a few minutes at a time. Everyone was in shock, it wasn’t just her, she knew, but her co-workers were at least able to stay at work. After her manager got word from the hospital, confirming John had passed, Aida walked out of work and numbly drove home without saying a word to anyone. The company announced that grief counselors would be onsite tomorrow, but Aida wasn’t even sure if she could go back. Everything would remind her that John wasn’t there anymore.

 

When should I use telephonic support services?

Consider using R3’s telephonic support services anytime your organization has a disruptive event that affects employees’ stability or productivity. The aftermath of an on-site employee death, natural disaster, workplace accident, or layoff are the types of events that may require longer-term support, so employees can regain their balance and resiliency.

What the telephonic support includes:

• Outreach: immediate, individualized intervention with 3 outreach support calls to each identified employee over 10 days; 24/7 access to experienced, master’s level clinicians for telephonic support
• On-Demand: Discrete, dedicated support line with 24/7 access to experienced, master’s level clinicians for telephonic support over 30 days
• Alerting employers of any employees who require additional support

 

Recovering for the long-term

A week later, Aida pulled her car into an empty space in the XYZ lot. She took a deep breath, remembering the reactions the R3 Consultant mentioned Aida might feel on her first day back. When Aida didn’t show up for the group grief counseling session, her manager called her and suggested Aida use R3’s telephonic support for individual help.

 

Aida was skeptical at first. What could a mere phone call do, but when Patrice, the R3 Consultant, called that first day, Aida found herself talking about her friend, and Patrice patiently listened, even as Aida began crying all over again. Aida called Patrice several times during those first few days, including the day of John’s funeral. During each call, Patrice and Aida talked through coping techniques that Aida could use as she moved through the rest of her day.

 

Over the last few days, the calls centered on what work would be like without John there, and how Aida could adjust. It was painful to think about, but it helped Aida to think about the little things: like who she might have lunch with instead of John, or how she could use the south entrance instead of the north one, if avoiding his office made it easier for her to manage. “Little strategies help get you from moment to moment,” Patrice said.

 

Going back to work without her friend being there wouldn’t be easy, Aida knew, but she could take these first, important steps.

 

Telephonic support provides support and skills

When you have a physical injury–a cut, for example–the key to complete recovery is to clean it, give it the support of a bandage or stitches to make it easier for the wound to close, and to provide time for the cut to heal. When someone has experienced a psychological or emotional trauma, the concept is similar. Through telephonic support, expert counselors provide employees with the opportunity to unload or “clean” the injury, get support, and take the additional healing time.

 

By talking with professionals who are experienced at listening, caring, and providing support, employees are better able to recover and move forward–making a faster, more successful return to work and to daily activities possible.