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By: FEDweek StaffA new MSPB publication cites several agencies for exhibiting leading practices in helping their employees deal with the emotional toll of their work.
The article notes that in a recent white paper, the MSPB said that many federal jobs require employees to deal with people in anxiety or distress, serve in high-stress situations, and have concerns about their own safety and that of their families. It said that some agencies have gone beyond common responses such as promoting use of employee assistance, health and wellness and work-life balance programs, including:
* A State Department program designed to help foreign service officers and specialist employees coming back from service at high-threat, high-risk posts to reintegrate with family, friends, and everyday life and introduce resources available to assist with the process.
* A DHS program that includes orientation and training for employees who will be exposed to potentially traumatic events and images.
* An FBI program to heighten the awareness of employees regarding common stressors related to their job, possible reactions they may experience, and available resources.
* A U.S. Marshals Service program to equip employees to proactively manage stress in response to traumatic situations.
Personal attention from managers also can help, MSPB added. This could include steps such as rearranging workloads to decrease emotional fatigue, providing flexibility in assignments, where possible, and in-person talks with employees to ask how they are doing, urge that they take care of themselves, and talk through work stress-related problems they are experiencing.
