Blog by K. Lo

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), and while many associate it with survivor stories and advocacy campaigns, one critical space is often overlooked: the workplace. This is why L.I.F.E. Recovery, Training, & Coaching was born.

L.I.F.E.'s founder, Karen, has learned, in over her decade doing the crisis work with survivors of gender-based violence who have been recently victimized, that the educational conversations regarding gender-based violence are not taking place in the workplace. Often times workplaces serve to further victimize survivors.

For many survivors, trauma doesn’t clock out. It follows them into meetings, performance reviews, and office culture. At L.I.F.E. Recovery, Training, & Coaching, we work with both individuals and institutions to help bridge the gap between awareness and action—so that every workspace becomes a place of safety, not silence.

💼 Trauma in the Workplace Is More Common Than You Think

• 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime.
• Members of the LGBTQIA+ community experience gender-based violence at a higher rate than cis-heterosexual people.
• Most survivors don’t disclose to HR or supervisors.
• Triggers can show up in the form of control, microaggressions, or even office banter.

That’s why trauma-informed leadership isn’t optional—it’s essential.

❗ Signs Your Workplace Culture May Be Causing Harm:

• “Dark humor” that normalizes abuse or gender-based violence.
• Leaders brushing off emotional needs or signs of stress.
• No clear, safe way to report misconduct.
• A “just get over it” culture around pain or trauma.

✅ 5 Steps Toward a More Trauma-Informed Culture:

1. Learn the language of consent and boundaries. Understand how power shows up in communication and decisions.
2. Create safe and accessible reporting channels. Without fear of judgment or retaliation.
3. Train your teams. Understanding GBV, bystander intervention, respectful communication, and trauma-informed practices should be mandatory.
4. Support without rescuing. Survivors need respect, flexibility, and empowerment—not pity.
5. Bring in experts. That’s where we come in.

🌱 From Awareness to Action

Let’s normalize leadership that’s compassionate and informed. As we leaders, we need to acknowledge when we cause harm and be intentional about correcting the harm that we have caused while also working actively and intentionally to never commit the harm again. As leaders, we are fallible. We are prone to making mistakes. True leadership is the demonstration of healthy resilience as a result of learning from those mistakes - not running from them. There is no strength in running from our mistakes.

This SAAM, commit to making your workplace one where survivors can thrive—not just survive.

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📩 Ready to build a trauma-informed workplace? Connect with us at L.I.F.E. Recovery, Training, & Coaching. Because healing-centered spaces don’t happen by accident—they happen by design.