Recovering from robbery and other traumatic events

by charlene_voisin | February 1, 2015 9:00 am

By David J. Sexton

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Adrenaline kicks into overdrive when a traumatic crime or other catastrophic event happens at work, whether you’re on the road or at your business.

Most jewellers know what to do immediately: call 911, attend to any physical injuries, assist police, and get in touch with their insurance agent or carrier. Even after all the necessary immediate measures have been addressed, there might be another important factor to consider, although it is sometimes easy to underestimate or overlook.

In the aftermath of these events, jewellers, their associates, and family members often have much more to deal with than physical injuries and/or lost inventory. The psychological injuries that may result from an armed robbery or some other catastrophic incident may not be as immediately obvious as a shattered window or broken bone. Left unaddressed, however, the long-term effects and resulting damage from this kind of injury can be very serious, even debilitating.

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According to Joseph Utecht, master counsellors manager for Ceridian LifeWorks, the first step is to recognize the psychological injury. He recommends watching for these signs that an individual could be having difficulty recovering from psychological trauma:

• vivid and frequent flashbacks;
• a pervasive change in personality or demeanor;
• dramatic emotional swings;
• anxiety or paranoia;
• insomnia or fitful sleep;
• depression, and/or
• heightened feelings of stress.

Each person experiences trauma and its effects differently, so the question of whether professional counselling is needed is always a personal decision. Here are some dos and don’ts to help recover from emotional and psychological trauma.

Dos:

• Get plenty of rest.
• Maintain a good diet and exercise.
• Spend time with family and friends.
• Take time for leisure activities.
• Talk to supportive peers and family members about the traumatic event.
• Learn about traumatic stress.
• Expect the traumatic event to bother you.
• Stay connected to your spiritual resources and advisors.

Don’ts:

• Don’t drink alcohol excessively.
• Don’t use legal or illegal substances to numb reactions or serve as an emotional crutch.
• Don’t withdraw from significant others and friends.
• Don’t stay away from work.
• Don’t reduce your leisure activities.
• Don’t set unrealistic expectations for your recovery.
• Don’t make major life decisions or changes while you’re coping with trauma.
• Don’t be hard on yourself or others.

While you may be able to identify and regulate your feelings after a traumatic event, how your team members react could be entirely different. Here are a few exercises you and your team can practice to help recover.

• Acknowledge the event. It may seem easier to pretend that nothing happened, but it won’t help the person recover from their trauma.
• Survivors of a robbery need to come to their own conclusions about why it occurred. This will help them regain feelings of safety and security. Avoid stating your own reasons for why the robbery transpired.
• Each person experiences trauma and its effects differently. One person cannot know how another feels. If you want to share how you feel, let the person know these are your feelings. The other person’s perspective may be very different.
• Ask how the person is doing, but don’t press for details of the robbery. If your co-worker wants to talk, just listen. Talking about the robbery often is an important part of healing. If the person is not ready to talk about it, don’t push.
• Offer emotional support. Remember that people recover at different rates.
• Offer practical support. Instead of the catch-all “If there’s anything I can do “¦,” offer to do specific things, such as giving rides to or from work, running errands, picking up part of the associate’s workload (if your employer agrees), going to lunch together, or simply being available to listen.

Getting past a traumatic event like a robbery takes time. Recognizing the signs an individual is not recovering is critical to ensuring their health and well-being.

David J. Sexton, CPCU, is vice-president of loss prevention consulting at Jewelers Mutual Insurance Co., in the United States. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Sexton serves on the Underwriters’ Laboratories’ (UL) Security Systems Council, where he is a corporate member of the insurance category. He also sits on the board of directors for Jewellers Vigilance Canada (JVC), and worked on the Central Station Alarm Association’s (CSAA’s) Insurance Liaison Committee that assisted in the development of the UL burglar alarm modular certificate program and revised UL standard. Comments and questions can be sent to lossprevention@jminsure.com[3].

For training resources regarding safety and security when carrying or working with jewellery, visit JM University at JewelersMutual.com[4]. Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company is the only company specializing exclusively in jewellery insurance in the United States and Canada. It is licensed in all 50 U.S. states and Canada.

Source URL: https://www.jewellerybusiness.com/features/recovering-from-robbery-and-other-traumatic-events/

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