Do
Do expect distress and allow that to be expressed without expecting yourself to fix it
Do communicate clearly about what will happen next
Do let staff know your availability in the next few weeks for any of their questions and concerns
Do speak to staff to find out how they are and if they need any support and be wary of accepting ‘I’m fine’ as a response if you suspect that someone is not doing well
Do encourage staff to take their breaks and days off
Do try to facilitate reduced or flexible hours for a defined period
Do try buddying staff up into pairs to support each other on shift
Do rotate people from high stress jobs to low stress jobs
Do allow staff to go home or take a break from their shift if they require
Do encourage staff back to normal duties when they feel ready
Do encourage acceptance of the people involved, understanding and social support while discouraging judgement, blame, criticism and gossip
Do try huddles at the start and end of shifts to keep the team feeling connected to each other
Do notice changes in staff and watch out for anybody still struggling after one month
Do let the staff know about the available support systems and encourage them to access support
Do make them aware that they will be contacted by the staff psychology team and ensure to check the given email address regularly
Don’t
Do not mandate that staff talk about how they are feeling or access any particular type of support
Do not run a ‘debrief’ session with untrained facilitators
Do not mix organisational or operational follow-up with psychosocial support as these are
two different thingsDo not assume you know what will be helpful and always ask what someone needs
Do not neglect yourself and take care of yourself too whilst accessing the same support systems as you recommend for your staff