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Stress
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person conversation with someone outside your bubble is one more way to prevent that overwhelming feeling of being thrown back into the workplace,” she explained.
Beyond water-cooler discussions, Burgess said a successful transition back to the office also requires com- panies to be tuned in to the apprehen- sions their employees may have. “It will be important for people to have an open dialogue with their employers about any anxieties or concerns they may be feeling.”
Added Favorite, “as a supervisor in
Violence
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adolescents. Those are not descriptors of juvenile delinquency; that’s typi- cal adolescent behavior. So it’s really important, as adults working with young people, that we respond to the behavior, but not overreact.”
New Beginnings
The event featured a brief address by former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, who has been an ardent gun-control advocate following her assassination attempt in 2011. Her message struck a different, more activist tone than the rest of the program.
“These are scary times — racism, sexism, lies, coronavirus. It’s time to stand up for what’s right. It’s time for courage,” she said. “We must do some- thing to stop gun violence and protect our children, our future ... to make our country a safer place, a better place.”
It will be a better place, Baldwin said, through the kind of relationship building, mutual understanding, and personal accountability that lie at the heart of Roca.
“We are humbled and honored to work with the young people at the center of urban violence — those who are traumatized, full of distrust, and trapped in a cycle of violence and pov- erty that traditional youth programs alone can’t break,” she said. “Today is a celebration of those who make this work possible, from young people to Roca teams and our partners commit- ted to sparking new thinking about working with young people who are traumatized and stuck.”
Getting unstuck is a decision, she noted, offering a George Bernard Shaw quote: “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”
Roca is doing its part to create change, Baldwin said, but it can’t achieve its goals alone. “There is an opportunity for all of us to begin again.” u
Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]
the workplace, I’m having conversa- tions with my staff to assuage their fears about coming back on site.”
Talk About It
One key to putting COVID behind us is recognizing what everyone has gone through since last March.
“For the past 14 months, we’ve lived in a world full of trauma,” Burgess said. “The idea that we can suddenly go back to the way everything was is an impossible task.”
Mulcahy said she has heard from people who are embarrassed because they feel stressed and anxious about
returning to a more normal life.
“They feel like they should be happy and excited that people are vaccinated,
but instead they just feel worried,” she noted. “I want people to know they are not alone and they can reach out for help to navigate these feelings; that’s why we’re here.”
Burgess also pointed out that life was different during the pandemic, and we should accept that we are not the same people we were before.
“Our life has changed, and we have changed in some of the ways we think, how we feel, and what feels safe,” she said. “It’s important to respect who we
are today because that, too, is part of the process in getting back into the world.”
When everyone was forced to sud- denly deal with a pandemic, it created anxiety for many. Now, as the pandem- ic (hopefully) nears its end, that cre- ates anxiety, too. Those who spoke with BusinessWest agree that talking about this stress, and letting people know their feelings are valid, will go a long way to easing everyone’s anxiety.
After all, Favorite said, “we’re still learning how to be in a world where we don’t have to worry all the time.” u
For the second consecutive “marking period,” Mercy Medical Center was awarded an ‘A’ in the Spring 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a national distinction recognizing Mercy’s achievements in protecting patients from harm and providing high-quality, safe health care.
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospitals’ prevention of medical errors and other harms to patients in their care.
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