Why military trauma awareness matters in the workplace

World Mental Health Day on 10 October highlights the importance of creating supportive workplaces where people can thrive. For veterans affected by military trauma, understanding and support at work can make a significant difference.

As one of ADS Group’s charity partners for 2026/27, Combat Stress helps veterans living with the lasting impact of military trauma and provides resources to help employers become more military trauma-aware. 

Here, the charity explains why military trauma is not solely a health issue, but a workplace issue too.

Military trauma is more than a health issue

Military service can bring considerable strengths into the workplace: leadership, teamwork, adaptability, problem-solving and the ability to operate under pressure. For a small but significant minority of veterans, however, trauma during or around military service can also have a lasting psychological impact.

Difficulties with sleep, concentration, feeling constantly alert to threat, managing strong emotions or feeling uncomfortable around other people can all affect day-to-day working life. Certain environments or situations – such as unexpected loud noises, crowded spaces, conflict, uncertainty or feeling a loss of control – may also be particularly difficult.

That makes military trauma more than a health issue. It can also be an issue of workplace culture, management, inclusion and retention.

Importantly, being military trauma-aware does not mean treating veterans as vulnerable or assuming that every veteran has mental health problems. Most veterans will not develop PTSD, and veterans should not be defined by their military experiences. 

Instead, it means creating workplaces where managers understand that military experiences can affect people long after service and know how to respond appropriately.

Signs that military trauma may be affecting an employee

There is no single way that someone affected by military trauma will present. In fact, one of the risks for employers is expecting distress to look obvious.

A manager might instead notice a change, such as: 

• an employee becoming more withdrawn or irritable
• finding it harder to concentrate
• appearing unusually alert or on edge
• struggling in busy or noisy environments
• becoming less confident; experiencing more absence
• finding particular situations increasingly difficult to manage.

None of these signs necessarily means that someone has PTSD or is experiencing military trauma. The role of a manager is therefore not to diagnose, but to notice, ask and listen.

How managers can respond if they think an employee is struggling

Rather than asking, “Do you have PTSD?”, a manager might say, “I’ve noticed you don’t seem quite yourself recently. How are things?” or “Is there anything happening at work that is making things more difficult at the moment?”

Managers do not need to ask what happened during somebody’s military service, and an employee should never feel pressured to disclose traumatic experiences.

The focus should be on what they are experiencing now, what might help them at work and, where appropriate, how they can be supported to access professional help.

Supporting veterans through understanding and inclusion

Being Armed Forces-friendly is an important starting point, but recognising military service is not the same as understanding the potential impact of military trauma if it occurred.

Organisations may have excellent recruitment initiatives, while managers still have relatively little understanding of military culture, transition to civilian life or military trauma.

There can also be a tendency to view veterans as a single group. In reality, veterans’ experiences are enormously varied. 

A genuinely veteran-aware organisation therefore needs to move beyond recruitment and recognition towards understanding and inclusion.

That includes equipping managers to have psychologically safe conversations, challenging stereotypes about veterans and PTSD, understanding how workplace environments can affect people who have experienced trauma, and having clear routes to appropriate support.

Practical steps businesses can take to become more military trauma-aware

Businesses can start by giving managers basic education about military culture, transition and trauma.

They can also review whether their wellbeing and HR processes make it easy for someone to ask for help.

Simple adjustments may sometimes make a substantial difference, such as flexibility around working arrangements or appointments or access to quieter working spaces.

Perhaps the biggest impact comes from creating psychological safety: a culture in which people can speak up without believing that doing so will automatically change how colleagues or managers see them.

The business case for military trauma awareness

When psychological difficulties are poorly understood, changes in behaviour can easily be interpreted as poor attitude, disengagement or underperformance. 

Military trauma-awareness is about developing managers and workplaces that are better able to understand people, respond to difficulties appropriately and retain talent.

At Combat Stress, we know that military trauma can have an impact long after someone has left the Armed Forces. We also know that recovery is possible. 

Employers are not expected to provide treatment, but they can create an environment that makes it easier for someone to stay well, remain connected to work and seek appropriate support when they need it.

For business leaders, perhaps the most useful question is not simply “Are we Armed Forces-friendly?” but “Would a veteran who was struggling feel safe enough to tell us – and would we know what to do next?”

For more information on how to get help visit the Combat Stress website Get Help – Combat Stress