🧠 Triggered at Work? Understanding the 5 F’s of Workplace Trauma Responses

Workforce Wednesday | Brain & Behavior Series #2

“Why did she shut down the moment I gave feedback?”
“Why is he always avoiding responsibility?”
“Why can’t they just speak up in meetings?”

If you work in human services, workforce development, nonprofit leadership, or youth-serving systems… you’ve asked these questions.

What you may not realize is that you’re not dealing with attitude — you’re dealing with adaptation.

These are not personality flaws.
These are nervous system responses.
And they all trace back to what I call the 5 F’s of Trauma in the Workplace.

🔁 The 5 F's of Trauma-Response Behavior at Work

You’ve probably heard of Fight, Flight, Freeze, but let’s expand that to include two more responses we see every day — especially in community-facing, emotionally complex roles.

Here's the full lineup:

🥊 FIGHT

Looks like:

• Aggression or sharp tone in meetings
• Defensiveness during feedback
• Controlling behavior
• Constant pushback

🧠 The nervous system is trying to regain control in an unsafe-feeling environment.

🏃 FLIGHT

Looks like:

• Chronically late or no-showing
• Over-scheduling to avoid tasks
• Leaving jobs or projects abruptly
• Avoiding hard conversations

🧠 “If I can’t control it, I’ll just disappear from it.”

❄️ FREEZE

Looks like:

• Shutting down mid-meeting
• Difficulty answering questions on the spot
• Procrastination
• Disengagement or "blanking out"

🧠 The brain says: “It’s safer to do nothing than risk doing the wrong thing.”

🧠 FORGET

Looks like:

• “Dropping the ball”
• Missing deadlines
• Forgetting important tasks or instructions
• Inconsistent follow-through

🧠 Chronic stress impairs memory, focus, and working memory — this isn’t carelessness; it’s cognitive overload.

🤝 FAWN

Looks like:

• Over-apologizing
• People-pleasing, even to the point of burnout
• Avoiding disagreement
• Difficulty setting boundaries with clients or supervisors

🧠 “If I stay likable, I’ll stay safe.”

🧠 So What Do We Do With This?

Recognizing these trauma responses in your team, participants, or yourself is the first step toward culture change.

Next is creating spaces where the nervous system doesn’t have to fight to survive.

✅ Trauma-Informed Strategies for Workplace Safety & Stability

Here are 6 simple shifts that lower the threat response and help regulate the team:

• 🔁 Prioritize consistency. Predictability calms the nervous system. Start meetings on time. Don’t surprise people with major changes.
• 📝 Make expectations visible. Write things down. Clarify deliverables. Use checklists. Don’t assume “they should know.”
• 🧍🏾‍♀️ Model emotional regulation. Your calm becomes contagious. Use a steady tone, grounded posture, and non-reactive language.
• 🗣 Normalize checking in. Start meetings with “What’s one word for how you’re arriving today?” This builds emotional awareness over time.
• 💬 Don’t punish coping. If someone’s fawning, freezing, or fleeing — meet it with curiosity, not correction.
• 🎯 Focus on repair, not perfection. Expect ruptures. Prioritize how your team returns to trust.

💡 Remember This:

The behaviors you’re frustrated with might just be adaptations to environments that weren’t safe in the past.

You don’t need to be a therapist.
But you do need to be a leader who understands how the brain behaves under stress.

When we respond to these 5 F’s with structure + softness, we unlock trust.
And when people feel safe — they don’t just perform better.

They stay. They grow. They lead.

👣 Coming Next Week:

“From Dysregulation to Delegation: How Managers Can Co-Regulate Their Teams”