There was a robust response to my post on Wounded Workers 2020. We have experienced a plethora of wounds at work related to Covid-19. Our wounds can be physical, spatial, emotional, mental, stress-related, relationships, technological, psychological, economic, etc. There is a pervasive range and experience of the working wounded and those who are no longer working at this time.
To examine the metaphor a little more, “a wound is a disruption of the normal structure and function of the skin.” Wounded worker have experienced disruption of the normal structure and function of work. Obviously, not everyone has been wounded at work but there are so many more of us wounded than most of us imagine.
A large difference in work wounds from physical wounds is that often we can’t see many of the wounds of wounded workers. That is why I placed a bandage of my shirt, to make things a little more visible even if it is just symbolic.
We need to heal. I believe we will need time, energy, attention, conversation, and caring to heal our wounds. Please note that I say heal not cure. I love Jon Kabat-Zinn’s definition of healing, “coming to terms with things as they are.” Easier said, than done.
How are you doing coming to terms with things as they are?