To mark PTSD Awareness Day, our founder and Managing Partner, Jodie Hill, has shared her personal story of living with PTSD, the impact it has had on her life and career. Jodie’s story is a powerful reminder that PTSD affects everyone differently. While no two experiences are the same, employers must take the time to understand the support each individual may need.
For employers and managers, this raises the important question of ‘How can you best support someone with PTSD at work?’ Understanding your legal responsibilities, recognising when PTSD may amount to a disability and knowing how to make effective reasonable adjustments can make a significant difference to an employee’s wellbeing and ability to thrive.
Every workplace is likely to include someone living with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). In fact, around 1 in 10 people in the UK will experience PTSD or complex PTSD at some point in their lives.
For employers and HR professionals, supporting someone with PTSD doesn’t require having all the answers. It starts with understanding, curiosity and a willingness to make reasonable adjustments that help people succeed.
Is PTSD a disability?
PTSD can amount to a disability under the Equality Act 2010. A person is considered to have a disability if they have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out day-to-day activities.
PTSD can affect someone’s concentration, memory, emotional regulation, sleep, communication and a person’s ability to cope with change or stressful situations. If these effects are substantial and have lasted or are likely to last for 12 months or more, the condition is likely to amount to a legal definition of a disability.
Importantly, employers should avoid making assumptions. Every individual’s experience of PTSD is different; legal protection depends on how the condition affects the individual.
What are an employer’s legal responsibilities?
Where PTSD meets the requirements of a disability, employers have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments.
Reasonable adjustments should be implemented to remove or reduce barriers that place a disabled employee at a disadvantage compared with others.
These adjustments do not have to be costly or complicated. In many cases, relatively small changes can make a significant difference to someone’s well-being, confidence and performance.
Employers should also ensure that they do not discriminate because of disability and should foster a workplace culture where employees feel able to speak up if they need support.
Where someone doesn’t meet the definition but is clearly struggling with their PTSD even on a short-term basis, we would also suggest offering support through this difficult time. There may be no legal obligation but it’s the human thing to do.
Examples of reasonable adjustments for employees with PTSD:
There is no one-size-fits-all approach, but adjustments which are commonly effective for those struggling with PTSD are:
- Flexible working arrangements or adjusted start and finish times,
- Additional breaks during the day.
- Clear communication and advance notice of changes where possible.
- Adjusted workloads during periods of recovery, or phased return following sickness absence
- Time off to attend therapy or medical appointments
- Regular well-being check-ins with a trusted manager.
The most effective adjustments are those developed collaboratively with the employee. Rather than assuming what someone needs, ask open and honest questions and listen carefully to their experiences.
TIP – always think what would actually help this person right now? Have a conversation and agree what would help and how it will be measured and reviewed moving forward.
Psychological safety:
Those with PTSD often spend a considerable amount of energy appearing as though everything is fine. Many employees become highly skilled at masking their difficulties, meaning managers may not realise someone is struggling until they reach crisis point.
Creating psychologically safe workplaces allows people to feel safe to speak up, ask for help, and raise concerns without fear of blame or negative consequences, helping them in the long run.
Psychological safety can be encouraged by:
- Creating a safe space to talk openly
- Always responding with empathy
- Maintaining consistency and predictability where possible.
- Respecting confidentiality.
- Training managers to recognise when someone may need additional support and on having difficult conversations about poor mental health
When employees trust that asking for help won’t taint how their managers perceive them, they are far more likely to seek support before problems escalate.
If Jodie’s personal story demonstrates anything, it is that recovery is possible, but the support along the way matters enormously.
If you haven’t already, we encourage you to read ‘PTSD Awareness Day: My Story of Trauma, Recovering and Finding Safety,’ where Jodie shares her personal experiences that inspired Thrive Law’s commitment to psychologically safe workplaces.
Need support?
If you’d like advice on supporting employees with PTSD, implementing reasonable adjustments or building a psychologically safe workplace, our team is here to help.
Contact us at enquiries@thrivelaw.co.uk or call 0113 861 8101 to find out how we can support your organisation.
If you’re struggling with PTSD, support is available. Contact the Samaritans anytime on 116 123, or visit PTSD UK for information and support.
