How should leaders respond after riots or violent public events?
Leaders should acknowledge what has happened, recognise that people may be affected differently, signpost support, and make practical adjustments that help people stay safe and well at work.
‘They didn’t even acknowledge that this might be difficult for me’.
When we work with organisations, there can sometimes be internal challenges after situations such as the racist riots in 2024 and 2025, and more recently following the murder of Henry Nowak and the rioting in Southampton.
Leaders sometimes feel like they:
Don’t know how to address the situation
Don’t know how to support people effectively
Don’t feel they should be responding to every situation that emerges nationally and internationally
What should leaders pay attention to?
We live in a more connected world and this can mean that the presence of triggering or activating content is continuous. This doesn’t have to be on social media, we are exposed to 24-hour news, alerts on phones and unsolicited content via WhatsApp, among other channels. There are very few options for people to extricate themselves from this content. This has a negative impact on people’s wellbeing and mental health.
When a person’s identity intersects with the events, the impact on their wellbeing and mental health is likely to be more than for someone who does not.
People are more protective of themselves and set boundaries on what is acceptable for them today, compared to 5, 10, 15 years ago. You may want people to be “more resilient” (and this needs exploring further), but the fact is there is a real physical and emotional threat to trans people, women, people with global majority identities, Jews, Muslims and Sikhs that is impossible to ignore.
How might organisations respond?
Ideally, have a framework that you simply activate when there is a situation that warrants it. This is anticipatory and the essence of inclusive practice.
At least acknowledge that the situation is concerning, troubling, upsetting, angering or traumatising.
Acknowledge the potential issues. These will differ depending on the situation, but could include:
Fear of physical harm moving to and from work
Fear of physical harm from customers, visitors and others
Concern about interactions with colleagues
Concern for friends and relatives
Reactivating previous trauma for anyone with lived experience of the issue, which could include war, famine, murder, physical assault or sexual assault
Signpost to internal and external support.
Consider how ways of working can be altered to support people effectively:
Working from home where there is a risk of physical harm or significant mental or emotional harm. This is pertinent during rioting and where there has been a declaration of a threat to a group of people in the community, for example trans people or “immigrants”.
Changing shifts with people
Providing taxis for those working late or unable to get to work safely
Assessing deadlines and considering whether it is reasonable to adjust them
Earlier or later starts and finishes
Considering how the above can apply or be adapted for different roles5.
Ask the people concerned. They are best placed to tell you what might be helpful for your context.
Some individuals may want a more public communication of where the organisation stands on an issue. This can be more challenging depending on the context, for example the industry or sector the organisation works in. However, this issue will be exacerbated where an organisation makes outward public declarations of support or condemnation for one group or issue, but doesn’t for others. Avoiding hypocrisy is essential, and this should be the case before, during and after a violent public event. Consistency is key.
Regardless, our advice is always to focus internally and try not to be distracted by a loud minority. Focusing on providing support and the best working conditions possible for the people you depend on to produce your core work is far more important than external virtue signalling.
Final thought: inclusive practice should be anticipatory
Much of this relates directly to workplace culture. How do you treat people day to day? How do you look after psychological safety in your normal practice? How do you procure, fundraise, fund and collaborate?
Inclusion is anticipatory and ideally, if you are able to create an inclusive culture, handling such situations should just be an extension of the care and responsibility you give to and expect from everyone.
Read about psychological safety