Work-related stress is common in most jobs. However, it is usually far more intense and complex for humanitarian workers involved in extreme situations. The need to confront post-traumatic stress has been fairly well-understood in cases of relatively short-term interventions involving natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, or hurricanes, or the aftermath of terrorism such as the 9/11 attacks. Much less understood are the effects of sustained levels of intense stress when working with vulnerable groups such as indigenous peoples, at-risk youth, children survivors of sexual abuse, displaced populations, or other victims of violence and extreme social exclusion.
Long term exposure. Workers may be exposed to trauma that is continual (such as widespread racism, hunger and malnutrition) and/or repeated (such as the re-victimization of children, the murder of children who have been under their care, or having to turn away victims of abuse due to lack of capacity to meet the demand for help). Some workers have ten, twenty or thirty years of experience working in situations in which trauma is permanent and yet practically invisible, with problems that rarely make the press. Furthermore, work conditions can be particularly harsh, such as a continual long-distance travel over dangerous roads, long-term residence in areas with an extraordinarily hot and dry climate, or the risks of working in hotspots of urban street violence.
Two CWS studies document staff care needs and efforts. In 2008 Church World Service – Latin America and the Caribbean (CWS LAC) commissioned two studies on the ways non-governmental organizations (NGOs) involved in such work protect and care for their staff, a topic that has received little theoretical or practical attention in Latin America. One study examined seven NGOs who work with indigenous peoples in the Chaco region of South America, while the other addressed nine NGOs that work with at-risk youth and victims of sexual abuse in the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. Roughly half of the organizations are faith-based in their orientation. All are committed to social justice for some of the most marginalized groups in the region.
Physical and emotional pain: the toll on workers is great. These studies found that sustained trauma and harsh work conditions have dramatic effects on workers’ physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. Emotionally, the passion and fulfillment related to this work can also be accompanied by feelings of anger, frustration, impotence, sadness, anxiety, and even desperation. Physical effects range from fatigue, back pain, migraines, or insomnia to maladies ranging from colds and flu to far more serious illnesses. While such work is particularly hard on field staff, managers suffer, too.
Additional stressors. A variety of institutional problems can exacerbate feelings of anger and frustration. Many of these NGOs have relatively low budgets, and are normally significantly understaffed. Although the majority complies with labor laws, many workers put in significant overtime, usually unremunerated, often at night or on weekends. Vacations are provided, but may be interrupted, inadequate, or never taken. Some employees must work additional jobs to supplement their incomes, and project-based contract work usually has fewer benefits and questionable continuity. Coupled with long periods away from home, such conditions are especially hard on many women, especially working mothers. Unhealthy management styles and internal conflicts can compound work-related stress.
The historical context may exacerbate the problem. Both studies show that stress factors are heightened by the history of the region, of the NGOS, and of many of the persons involved. Many of the organizations were created during the 1970s and 1980s, in the context of brutal military dictatorships (in Argentina alone, 30,000 persons were disappeared) and radical movements committed to revolutionary change. A strong personal and institutional commitment to social justice can act as a double-edged sword. Often those individuals with rich personal histories and deep commitments to social change also experience an inability to set limits, with resulting physical and emotional symptoms and costs. Organizations may make unreasonable demands on time, or set goals that can’t be met. Guilt is internal, but can also be promoted by organizational culture and practices.
The institutional culture of surveyed Faith-based organizations includes a profoundly rooted support for social justice work, but may compound tendencies toward self-denial and guilt. For all the above stated reasons, the challenge of balancing work demands and personal well-being takes on new proportions.
