Case Study – Corporate Team
We delivered the training day for a large company that deals with people experiencing financial difficulties. The team were looking for some additional support to enable themselves to better deal with the stress, but they also recognised that they were experiencing some of the symptoms of compassion fatigue as their work took an emotional toll on them.
We taught them over three sessions and the organisation paid for them to have the training off site in a nice function room which we always prefer as it removes people from their working environment and helps them feel that the day is about them and their welfare.
Before the training day we asked all of those who attended to complete an envious pre course questionnaire.
Pre-Course Questionnaire Results
From the results and the additional comments it was obvious that the team were feeling under a lot of pressure. They felt that their work was negatively impacting them at home as well as at work and the majority of them were working much longer hours than they were paid for. In addition they were finding it hard to switch off, thinking about work and workplace issues at home which was affecting their home life and those they lived with. Most felt guilty if they felt ill and were going into work even though they knew they shouldn’t as they were worried about placing the burden onto their team members. They commented that they were often verbally abused by clients and felt that they were carrying a lot of responsibility for the lives of the people they were trying to help. They were aware that their clients were often very stressed and that they looked to them as a last chance to be able to help them.
Feedback from the Training Day
During the day we discussed what the organisation already had in place to support the team. They knew that they had access to private healthcare and an employee assistance programme, they were also aware that they had access to a counsellor and felt that their HR team was approachable and supportive. As a team they felt also supported by each other and could discuss issues, they felt able to take time out after a difficult call and recently they had begun to share a positive story with each other at the beginning of each week.
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We discussed what the organisation could additionally do to support them further and idea discussed included, flexible working options, team building and more opportunities to go on training courses to enrich and improve their skills. They also discussed that a cultural shift was needed so that they didn’t feel guilty for taking breaks, working more flexibly, or leaving to go home on time. They felt that a more hands-off management approach would also be beneficial as would more staff employed with the right set of skills.
Some comments from the evaluation forms
What did you like about the course?
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I learnt some useful things that can be used straightaway.
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It gave the whole team a chance to talk together.
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Made me realise things about myself I never knew or didn’t want to admit.
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Everything was explained well and made me reflect on everything I am already experiencing – giving a sense of reassurance.
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Very informative, active not just learning it resonated with my life and came at the right time.
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Trainers were very engaging and mad us feel at ease. Lots of food for thought.
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Very interactive and engaging – very immersive.
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Lots of useful info and interactive
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What are the key messages you will take away from today’s training?
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There are things that I can do to help myself.
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The way I feel is normal and I’m not the only one who feel like this.
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Recognising anxiety and now knowing what to do when I feel it.
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Take more ‘me time’ – Responsible Selfishness.
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Self-compassion and self-love are a must.
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I come first and be mindful and recognise when I’m feeling low.
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Look after myself in work and watch out for the triggers.
Three-month follow-up questionnaire results
Feedback after three months
From the results it is clear that most staff who attended the course were not aware of the concepts of compassion fatigue or vicarious trauma. This is very common and why we ensure that this is the first part of the training as without this underlying knowledge it can be easy to dismiss the symptoms or not realise how important it is to address them.
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Most of the team recognised the symptoms in themselves and their colleagues and just under half indicated that their family and friends have now noticed a reduction in these.
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This team clearly benefited from the training as most of them have noticed a difference in their own emotional health and that of the team, 87% of them have said that the course has helped them cope better with their work which is what we find with most of the teams we teach. In addition 97% felt that the training was a positive experience and that they are using the tools and strategies we gave them, keeping the self-care promises they made, and their manager has acted on some of the suggestion they made to improve the support they receive. They all felt that ongoing training would be beneficial and with this team we are going back in to do an annual update.
Final Comment from the Manager of the team
“By far one of the best training courses I have attended in terms of transferability to work, home and life in general. It helped me to acknowledge issues that I probably would not have felt confident to discuss in any other setting. My team have greatly benefited from it personally and professionally and we have and will implement many of the suggestions made during the training days. Thankyou to the EF training team”