Supporting shop staff:
Managing a critical incident in your store
The Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) works with retailTRUST, the charity supporting wellbeing across the UK retail sector, to provide support to its members who have gone through a critical incident in the workplace.
If you feel that immediate support would be helpful, you can speak in confidence with one of retailTRUST’s trauma specialists. They provide a range of services including individual telephone support or, if more appropriate, the option for a trauma expert to visit your place of work to help anyone affected.
If you feel that immediate support would be helpful, you can speak in confidence with one of retailTRUST’s trauma specialists. They provide a range of services including individual telephone support or, if more appropriate, the option for a trauma expert to visit your place of work to help anyone affected.
A critical incident can be any situation in which someone experiences either a threat to their own life or physical safety, or has been affected by the death or injury of another as a result of a traumatic event such as an accident, crime, or suicide.
Critical incidents can vary in severity from those unlikely to affect a large group of employees or have less of an operational impact though to more extreme occurrences which impact greatly on employee wellbeing while causing significant operational disruption.
Critical incidents can vary in severity from those unlikely to affect a large group of employees or have less of an operational impact though to more extreme occurrences which impact greatly on employee wellbeing while causing significant operational disruption.
To request assistance and to speak to a trauma specialist, please call the retailTRUST helpline on 0808 801 0808 and quote you’re a member of the SGF.
Support for Victims
To support staff and colleagues following a critical incident in your workplace, the Scottish Grocers Federation and retailTrust advise that you:
- Ensure that everyone is safe. Immediately after the event, you should contact the appropriate emergency services such as 999 if required, as well as your area manager and/or your HR team.
- Recognise your own feelings. To be able to support your colleagues appropriately, you first need to be aware of your own emotional needs and follow the same guidelines you would advise others to adhere to. It’s really important that you take care of yourself and not just your colleagues.
- Make sure that everyone affected has support. Reassure colleagues that it’s normal for the police or investigation teams to be present on the premises. They may require an interview with you and some of your colleagues so reassure them that this is nothing to feel anxious about. It’s also crucial to hold a briefing meeting with all of your colleagues before they go home to make sure that everyone has a clear idea of what’s happening as is possible at the time, as well as the chance to speak with each other if they want to.
- Meet with individual colleagues and ask the following:
- Have they contacted a family member or close friend to let them know what has happened?
- Do they have the contact details of all support services available to them?
- Do they have a safe method of travelling home? If you’re concerned about them driving home on their own, offer to help them find a ride home with another colleague or a taxi?
Counselling
When reporting a critical incident to retailTRUST, you can expect an initial telephone consultation to understand more about the incident and how it has affected you and your colleagues. This will be followed up by access to:
- 24-hour telephone support for management and colleagues.
- On-site assistance by a specialist trauma practitioner including group or one-to-one
- sessions incorporating psychological first aid to help everyone affected to:
- Understand how they are feeling and why
- Normalise these feelings
- Understand how they can support themselves and others
- Identify other stressors that can have an impact on their wellbeing
- Understand how they can access individual support (if required).
- In-the-moment support through the confidential helpline 0808 801 0808
- Structured support sessions (if clinically appropriate).
- Ongoing access to a range of digital resources at www.retailtrust.org.uk.
Contact
Contact Info
Our Location
retailTRUST, The Hugh Fraser
Retirement Estate,
Crookfur Road,
Glasgow, G77 6JY
Call Us
0808 801 0808
(say if you are a member of SGF)
Text 88008
Email Us
helpline@retailtrust.org.uk