HR practitioners are often exposed to various emotionally distressing and challenging situations at work. To manage this, workplace wellbeing expert Dr Adam Fraser shares his research-backed tips for HR.

HR is an incredibly rewarding profession, tackling some of the most pressing workplace challenges, from navigating and addressing mental health concerns to meeting the high expectations of leaders and employees.

These responsibilities place HR at the core of our organisations, navigating the increasing complexities of today’s ever-evolving business landscape. However, they can also take a toll on HR practitioners’ mental health.

In this episode, we speak with Dr Adam Fraser, peak performance researcher and workplace wellbeing expert, to explore how HR practitioners can care for their own mental health and wellbeing as they tackle complex workplace challenges head on (which can sometimes lead to emotional stress and vicarious trauma). 

In this episode, you’ll learn how Dr Fraser’s research on vicarious trauma in the education sector can be applied to HR practice, along with some valuable, research-backed tips to help manage your mental health. 

Jump to the section that interests you most:

• 6:48 minutes: Dr Fraser shares his research into vicarious trauma among educators.
• 15:20 minutes: The importance of creating debrief spaces for HR.
• 18:35 minutes: How can HR clock that they have vicarious trauma?
• 24:17 minutes: What are the impacts of having resilience levels that are too high?
• 26:55 minutes: The importance of creating a third space.
• 38:06 minutes: Dr Fraser responds to a complex scenario about an HR leader who has been faced with mass layoffs and restructuring and explains how they can manage the vicarious trauma that might arise from this.

Extra resources

For more conversations to inspire HR, listen to season one of Let’s Take This Offline here.

If you’d like further resources to help put Dr Fraser’s insights into action, check out the links below:

• Article: 4 tips to identify and mitigate burnout in HR practitioners
• Article: What is trauma-informed HR and why is it important?
• Short course: Renewing Resilience: Addressing burnout in HR practitioners
• Short course: Trauma-informed HR
• Short course: Implementing Wellbeing Initiatives
• Event: Sign up to AHRI’s National Convention and Exhibition in Melbourne on 20-22 August to hear more from Dr Adam Fraser.

View the podcast transcript here.

If you need immediate and urgent mental health support, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit their website to start an online chat or text thread.

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