Frequently Asked Questions
- Why do I need to respond to traumatic incidents?
- What’s the benefit to my company?
- Is a critical incident really likely to happen to my business?
- Why should I invest money in this?
- What evidence is there that this will save me money?
- If such an event did happen, would our HR and Occupational Health department not be able to handle it?
- What if I already have a Business Continuity Plan in place?
- I have an EAP - surely they will help?
- Is CCP's Trauma Care Programme different to counselling?
Q. Why do I need to respond to traumatic incidents? What's the benefit to my company?
A. You have a legal duty of care to do so. You also have a moral duty to show that your company cares. You may be able to affect the course of litigation or quantum by responding, and protect your reputation and brand. But, perhaps most important of all, it is in your interest to have your staff functioning normally as soon as is possible with positive views of you as an employer who cared for them.
Q. Is a critical incident really likely to happen to my business?
A. No business in the World Trade Centre would have thought it possible that their workplace and staff could be destroyed in the way they were on September 11 2001. It is part of our nature to think "this only happens to other people".
Q. Why should I invest money in this?
A. Investing a little money in the right preparation now will save you money wasted through not being prepared and doing too much of the wrong thing.
Q. What evidence is there that it will save me money?
- A Canadian company, Western Management Consultants (1997), report they have evidence that for every 1$(Can) spent on a Critical Incident Stress Management programme with nurses, $7.06 was saved through cost of sick leave/disability claims/staff turnover.
- Ott & Henry (1997), in a study with prison officers, showed a 92% reduction in stress-related compensation over a year when a Critical Incident Stress Management programme was put in place.
- Leeman-Conley (1990), in a study with bank staff showed a 60% reduction in sick days and a 68% reduction in compensation/disability payments when a Critical Incident Stress Management programme was put in place.
Q. If such an event did happen, would our HR and Occupational Health department not be able to handle it?
A. Whilst HR are usually able to provide an excellent basic response following a critical incident the usual HR and Occupational Health procedures are simply not attuned to working with trauma. A danger is that they may decide to do nothing at all, and simply 'wait and see', or conversely try to do too much. An expert response that does 'just enough' is needed.
Q. What if I already have a Business Continuity Plan in place?
A. Business Recovery plans often focus restoration of IT; telephony; and an emergency site from which to continue operations if necessary. However, it is no use having systems 'up' if people are 'down'. The HR dimension is often missing.
Q. I have an EAP - surely they will help?
A. The typical EAP individual counselling model simply does not meet the post-incident needs of a group of staff. A large number of customers have found this out and as a result employ CCP as a specialist provider alongside an EAP.
Q. Is CCP's Trauma Care Programme* different to counselling?
A. Trauma care is a specialist activity. Whereas counselling is requested by an individual, the organisation initiates the Trauma Care Programme proactively for all affected staff. The Programme is driven by the overall needs of the situation, whereas counselling is driven by the individual's personal preoccupations. Trauma Care is time-limited, two sessions nearly always being enough.
If you have any questions not answered here, please call us on 01756 796383 or use the Contact CCP page.
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