I have a new hire who is not willing to do one of the five required child abuse trainings as it is triggering for him.

25 Comments

1. AnonymousOctober 28,2022 at 4:45PM UTC

   I think it was probably tough for him to disclose that to you and I would start with maintaining compassion and an open mind. This is the first time you’ve been told about this - maybe not the first time someone has been fearful of experiencing emotional harm.

   Can you look at the training design? Can you ask this person: when you are able to discuss this matter, what are the circumstances surrounding that make that possible? This could give you some clues.

   Having said that, if this is part of his job to deal with routinely, then a more in depth consideration needs to be made about whether to keep this person in the current position. You want to help other children experiencing that harm and you don’t want to harm him. He may need a different role.

2. AnonymousOctober 28,2022 at 7:40PM UTC

   When you say required, do you mean by your HR policy?
   Or is it state mandated? Depending on the answer, can the ee file a waiver or exception if he or she has significant years of experience in the job field? Is it a one time training or recurrent training? Although this is sudden you should consider the scope of work and the contents that are in the training, do you anticipate that the job itself may result in perpetual triggering even if the training is not taken? This are all things to consider when thinking about the person would stay long term or short term. But as far as now, be empathetic, send her information on counseling services should she request or need it, Also schedule meetings with HR, your superviser and possibly a company attorney to determine the best and worst case scenario on how to move proceed.

3. AnonymousOctober 30,2022 at 12:18PM UTC

   This may be an ADA issue if tied to PTSD. I would stick close to a human resource staff member to figure this process out. If you work in behavioral health or with children, there are many alternatives. What about a verbal training? To at least ensure he knows the protocol.

4. Rebecca Lee VOctober 30,2022 at 12:18PM UTC

   If this is a medical position, then the trainings are required by state law, and he should know this. Normally, the child abuse certificates are good for 1-2 years.

5. AnonymousOctober 30,2022 at 12:28PM UTC

   I am going to assume he is in a role as mandated reporter. If that is the case and there are certain trainings required, I would see if there is an alternative way for him to do get this training. I have worked in HR in the educational and therapy space for specials needs and at risk youth and family, an employee that has a trigger like this often if not the right fit for a role that has them as a mandated reporter and potentially hearing about events from kids. I have experienced it first hand and had employees refuse to see or treat someone, over report (this tricky) because of their bias and need to take a leave of absence because of their own mental health needs. Your employee’s reasons for entering this line of work may be related to their past experiences and unless they have fully processed and been able to move forward from them, a triggering training is the least of what you will deal with.

   As others said, I am sure it was hard to share with you that it is triggering. I would recommend entering into an open conversation that allows this person to feel safe (don’t push on details or ask what happened in their life) about why the training is required and what suggested alternatives do they have for completing the training. They prefer to read the material and take a test or do a video version that they can stop and start as needed. While you need to confirm whether you can get them an alternative method, part of the conversation needs to explain to the employee why it is required/mandated by the employer, state, or other authorized organizations. Compassion is important here and ensuring the employee understands the risk of real life exposure in their role. Hopefully, it is just format of the training and some modification can help. If not, then you may have to terminate employment before you are dealing with more complex issues. Absolutely consult your organization’s employment attorney before doing anything.

6. Shelby COctober 30,2022 at 1:22PM UTC

   This is touchy.
   If it falls under the ADA, the person is protected. Consult HR.

   Is this later going to affect performance? Could s/he complete it with a support person?

7. ReachingGoalsOctober 30,2022 at 3:06PM UTC

   Where I work if it is mandatory then you gotta do it. Non-compliance is grounds for disciplinary action up to and including separation of employment. Since he says triggering, it would be an HR issue if they want to give him a pass or not. I would wonder if it is triggering because he was abused as a child or is he a child abuser? But that is me.

8. VerityOctober 30,2022 at 3:48PM UTC

   This is going to sound horrible but I think it depends on what he classes as "triggering". What I mean by this is that there is a difference between being uncomfortable and being triggered. For example, some things I can go through relating to my trauma and be just uncomfortable with however other topics can result in me having panic attacks that last over an hour and result in calling an ambulance.

   It is important to make this distinction because if something is merely uncomfortable, he could learn to get through it better with therapy / training however if it is causing him physical reactions like panic attacks and will hinder his quality of work, it might be time to discuss whether or not this is the right position for him.

   Obviously, certain jobs have certain requirements and so if he cannot get through the necessary training, how can he be expected to complete his daily work?

   I think you just need to sit him down and discuss the options, which may result in you having to tell him that this job isn't right for him if he cannot get through the training without being triggered.

9. Afo Ogbeyalu KaluOctober 30,2022 at 4:28PM UTC

   Once he invoked his right to preserving his mental health with the word "triggering", the training mandate is out of your purview. Consult your HR Department, and have it follow-up with him. That department is tasked with such responsibilities, and it could refer him to company (like an Employee Health/Wellness Program) and/or community-based resources.

10. AnonymousOctober 30,2022 at 4:31PM UTC

    My question is how he was hired for this position knowing what the job entails. If this was something that was going to hinder his performance in the job and he did not disclose it, however tragic his experiences were, he clearly is not able to perform the tasks required for this job. Perhaps he should look for some other position?

11. AnonymousOctober 30,2022 at 5:14PM UTC

    I would pull him to the side and privately talk to him and maybe see if there is a different position he could take and maybe ask how and why it is exactly that he gets triggered doing that 1 thing and explain that it is required for the job so if it bothers him that much he might not be fit for the job!

12. Mhairi DunnOctober 30,2022 at 8:40PM UTC

    Be careful doing this. If the employee is triggered to the extent this is a disability you could be opening yourself up to potential discrimination claims. Personally I would respect the boundaries he's set here, tell him you've heard him and say you'll pick it up with HR if there is a work around.

    Without knowing how pertinent this is to the role, it's hard to know how essential it really is to do the training.

    Lastly, if the training itself is triggering to those with PTSD etc, you may need to review the training material.

13. JenniferOctober 30,2022 at 5:35PM UTC

    Three thoughts come to mind.

    First, there's a chance that triggering like this would be considered disabling. As such, I would look at this situation as one of making reasonable accommodations for someone with a disability.

    Second, once that view is taken / pending legal approval, I agree with others that a private discussion is required. But instead of prying into the reasons, ask only those questions that are relevant to whether your new hire can and will respond appropriately when faced with situations involving child abuse in the future. For example, ask what that individual would DO if faced with that situation. Ask what that individual would DO better or differently than what they've witnessed before. Ask if they know the required steps to follow for this role.

    Finally, if the video itself is too triggering, consider documenting a workflow process for child-abuse reports and reactions, and quizzing your new hire on those steps. That could suffice to meet legal requirements and requirements for reasonable accommodation (though a written version of the video, as suggested below, could work just as well). Additionally, a verbal review of the workflow for all new hires, where you provide job aids for handy reference and perform knowledge checks on responses that should be automatic, could be helpful to all. (Take a hard look now at whether the [clearly disturbing] video could be de-sensitizing your staff, which is the opposite of what I think your governance entity would require. (If the video is currently state-board-required, petition for your work to be adopted as the future of child-abuse training in your state!)

14. Bradford McCormickOctober 30,2022 at 7:51PM UTC

    This sounds like fine advice.

    I would ask what are the functional consequences of this person not doing the training? Is it a black mark on the manager's performance checklist? Then that should not be relevant. But if it materially impedes the person doing the core duties of their job -- let's put it bluntly: if it makes them be a child abuser, then, obviously this has to be dealt with very firmly but then the problem may well be much deeper and serious than just an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure_

    What are the material consequences in question here? Not what mangement may like to look at on a spread sheet, but the real real? Are we dealing with a crime without a victim or a felony? Or what?

    If this person is so traumatized he (she, other) may be useless in their job or may be a treasure becaue they know about very serious matters in depth and may know, when push comes to shove, the right thing to do which will not likely come from "training'. As the architet Ludwig Mies van der Rohe said: "God is in the details."

15. Mhairi DunnOctober 30,2022 at 8:37PM UTC

    Good advice.

16. RiaOctober 31,2022 at 5:17PM UTC

    Excellent advice

17. Valentina Huang, MBA, SHRM-CPNovember 1,2022 at 7:03PM UTC

    Sound advice.

18. Kelley LambOctober 31,2022 at 2:23PM UTC

    Let HR handle it. He may have disclosed a disability requiring accommodation. Either way if he is triggered by the training he may also be triggered by the job which means not a good fit. Mandatory child abuse yearly training is part of working with kids , social services, law enforcement,and healthcare. If there is another type of training that has same information but different presentation then great. But if not. Gotta weed out the poor for now. It could be saving the employee future triggering and trauma plus saving the people he is serving from possible poor care.

19. AnonymousOctober 31,2022 at 2:46PM UTC

    It would be helpful to know what sort of position this is for. Who is requiring this training? Why is it required? Is it relevant for his position?

20. Kelly GomezOctober 31,2022 at 3:44PM UTC

    If it is related to a disability like PTSD etc the employee is the one that can disclose and an employer cannot force that. However, a manager can remind their employees at the start of a training that they can ask for reasonable accommodations if necessary.

21. AnonymousOctober 31,2022 at 4:56PM UTC

    This is interesting as I am in a HR role in education.
    Teachers are mandatory reports and have to do yearly required training on this and bunch of other things. These trainings are a job requirement. It would be difficult to get out of this as it is required by more than just the school and our HR policy. If they are watching videos like this, then this new hire could encounter things in their role that could be triggering, more triggering than the videos. The question is: Can they do their job? Would this triggering be too much for them if it happens in their position to then do what is needed/ required?
    I would be very careful about next steps. I would consult an attorney and listen to the advice listed here as well.

22. AnonymousOctober 31,2022 at 5:16PM UTC

    Where did the original poster indicate this was a teaching position?

23. AnonymousOctober 31,2022 at 6:09PM UTC

    They didn’t. I believe they are sharing their experience.

24. AnonymousOctober 31,2022 at 6:51PM UTC

    I was the one that posted above. The poster did not say it was in education; however, if they are in an industry like mine in education or another where it is required to do this type of training it may not be a good fit for the things the new hire may encounter. It may also be hard to get out of the training because of district, state, or other requirements. That is why I suggested consulting with a lawyer.

25. Zeecil KimmelNovember 11,2022 at 5:57PM UTC

    As someone who works in the Technical field as a profession but volunteers in the Mental Health field, I find some of the answers here very judgemental. I myself have found some of the"mandatory" HR training at my previous company to be very triggering - but I was afraid to say anything. Example - sexual abuse awareness training with video examples showing women being treated inappropriately. For me - with my being upbringing that was very explicit and difficult to watch. If this individual is being triggered and he can explain to HR his issue with the training he might have a very valid reason. Perhaps there is other training he can take instead.