In Part 1, I spoke about how although organized peer support teams may be utilized in a crisis, they instead specialize in being attentive to the daily troubles of distressed coworkers.
I have noticed that when you formalize or structure something (move from informal to formal peer support for
Read MoreFormal peer support is provided by thoughtfully selected and trained members of an organized peer support team. Although they may be utilized in a crisis, they instead specialize in being attentive to the daily troubles of distressed coworkers. Many of the issues that trouble people can be managed at the lowest level, meeting
Read MoreIn Part 1, I spoke about how peer support can provide what a person in distress needs the most.
■ Someone they recognize and trust.
■ Someone they do not have to explain the job to.
Read MoreMany workplaces already have informal peer support, meaning coworkers have been watching out for each other, both effectively and ineffectively, for a long time. Advancing formal peer support is adding to this sense of responsibility to watch out for each other, not an attempt to replace it. At the same time, peer supporters
Read MoreIn Part 1, I spoke about how there is a part of growth and healing, recovery from harm, that is individual and personal, and there is a part that is communal.
True believers of peer support can be powerful people. However, you should take what I say here and
Read MoreMammals gather and humans talk. Injured or threatened mammals, especially herd animals, tend to gather, or herd-up if you like. Humans, which are mammals, additionally benefit from talking about their distress with those they trust. Gathering and talking can be both healing and a communal protective factor. So, I believe it
Read MoreIn Part 1, I spoke about how peer support team members are coworkers who are specially trained to offer support and are knowledgeable about resources.
The need for peer support is sometimes only recognized after a workplace tragedy or failing. Peer support
Read MorePeer support, as with a trusted friend or neighbor, is someone able and willing to confidentially offer support. It can take the form of listening, which I think of as a generosity of time, where you pause your own activity and thoughts while you try to understand why someone thinks and feels the way they do. Peer support can
Read MoreIn Part 1, I spoke on how most of my work troubles, malcontent, and sometimes bitter complaining had nothing to do with the job at all, and everything to do with my own internal struggles, maturity, and relationship with my coworkers.
Whether it was the work itself, the workplace, or the coworkers. At our best, supportive coworkers helped multiply
Read MoreOnce in a job interview, I was asked why I was hoping to leave my current job, I said something like, “It was the best place I ever worked and the worst place I ever worked.” And the interview panel all laughed as if they fully understood.
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