Holding Accountability with Care
At some point in my supervision training, it’s not uncommon for me to say that using trauma-informed principles with our co-workers doesn’t mean that we’re just nice all the time. Especially if our job is to support vulnerable people through social services, where our #1 priority is the people we serve, sometimes we need to hold others accountable or tell someone that they need to do something differently. Being trauma informed means that we use the principles of trust and transparency, or collaboration and mutuality, to say what needs to be said, while also acknowledging experiences of the other person with respect and awareness.
While I’ve always promoted accountability as a supervisor, I have to admit that the realities for nearly every agency I’ve worked with in recent years have been incredibly hard. Within agencies and work teams, people are holding more stress and uncertainty than I’ve ever seen, and what’s being asked of employees sometimes feels extreme. Beliefs I’ve held about accountability have been tested as I’ve watched employees grapple with decreased public benefits for their clients and themselves, navigate the potential of ICE agents at their doors, and work through the stress and fear of having their personal identities attacked at the highest levels of our government. For example, if a co-worker is missing deadlines every week, but I also know that they're anxious about an upcoming trip when traveling with an i.d. with a gender marker that our government says no longer exists, are those deadlines even worth bringing up? How can I be compassionate and make space for their personal life while also being clear that those missed deadlines are actually a problem worth addressing? Can I ask them to think about the details of our work together and support their personal needs, at least a bit?
I don’t have a perfect answer, but I still believe that accountability is necessary, and that trauma informed principles will help me through those conversations. What also helps me during these conversations is to focus on participants and the mission of our work together. Regardless of how we may be disconnected, I trust that we both want to remain focused on those we serve, the impact we’re trying to have, and the vision of the world our team is striving for. I have always said that when prioritizing at work, participants are priority #1, and staff come in at a very close second. I want to keep those we serve, and why we do the work we do, central to any conversation about work performance because it helps us find common ground and motivation to improve or adjust as necessary.
Here are a few more examples of how I use principles of the trauma informed approach when addressing accountability issues with those I supervise:
Trustworthy & Transparency: Soon after identifying that there’s a work performance issue, I want to talk about it with curiosity and the mindset that the issue can be resolved. Sooner rather than later is always the right time to address issues and begin to understand what’s going on for the other person. I want to make sure that I’m providing and/or gaining the right information so that I’m building trust with the other person. With trust, they will hopefully let me know if their needs aren’t being met and they need something different to do their job well. I know I won’t always be able to meet those needs, but knowing what they are is the first step.
Collaboration & Mutuality: Being clear about expectations is key to a successful supervisory relationship. When a co-worker doesn’t do something correctly or in a timely manner, I ask myself if I’ve stated those expectations explicitly and ask my co-worker if they need more information. You won’t know what no one told you, and learning happens differently for everyone. I can’t assume that expectations are clear just because I know what’s expected. I need to share those expectations, answer questions, and repeat myself when necessary.
Empowerment, Voice, & Choice: Everyone’s experience is unique and requires an individualized approach. If someone is unable to complete a task or show up in the way they’ve been asked, I want to find out why and offer choices when I can. Sometimes that choice is about how or when a task is completed, and sometimes it can even be about whether that employee is the best person to complete it. If there’s a reason I can’t offer choices, I want to explain why and acknowledge frustrations. This principle also means that, when a co-worker disagrees with me, I hope they feel comfortable voicing that, even when it’s uncomfortable or frustrating to hear. While my positional power can give me space to think “my way” is important, my belief in everyone’s personal power means that I need to be humble to this inclination and be open to being challenged.
Peer Support: Everyone has strengths and skills to share with the team or the effort, and asking others to help or step in when a co-worker is having an issue can be a powerful exercise in building trust and relying on one another. If an employee is having a hard time with something and their co-worker helps them, then I hope they will be helpful to someone else when the time comes. Peer support means that we understand we don’t have to do everything ourselves, and asking for help is not an act of weakness, but faith. Having faith in each other at work increases our ability to succeed and evolve for the better.
Accountability in a work team, while never easy, is always necessary. It changes everyone’s experience to know that issues will be addressed proactively because it means that everyone knows that, as a unit, we’re going to strive for our best. Because we won’t always be at our best, trusting that support and problem-solving will be offered when things aren’t going well may help us to not suffer alone. It will also demonstrate our team standards and (hopefully) create a culture that is participant-focused and built on support and care.
