Contact Officers: Supporting the Emotional Load of our First Responders in the Workplace
The words ‘bullying,’ ‘harassment,’ and ‘discrimination’ typically raise powerful negative emotions for those with lived experience – distress, fear, anger, isolation, and a profound loss of self-esteem and safety. These strong emotional responses are rooted in the psychological, social, and physiological impacts those behaviours inflict. They directly threaten an individual’s fundamental needs for safety, respect, and belonging.
Supporting individuals who have experienced these behaviours requires a multi-faceted approach focusing on emotional support, practical assistance, and systemic change. One of the initiatives put in place by many organisations is the role of Workplace Contact Officers. Contact Officers are often the first responders to help others in a variety of emotional situations in the workplace.
The role of a Contact Officer is not defined by legislation and often varies from organisation to organisation. Generally, Contact Officers support people by facilitating understanding of behavioural expectations and unlawful behaviours including victimisation. They meet with affected individuals, demonstrating effective communication and listening skills, outlining options to act upon and resolve concerns, and seek support.
Research in Australia about the negative impacts arising from undertaking the role of Contact Officer is limited. What we do know is that like human resource experts, people leaders, incident response teams, union representatives, and mental health first aiders, Contact Officers can take on an emotional toll through their support of others. This can include symptoms of distress, fear, and anger, as well as burnout and serious mental health issues. Through their empathetic interactions with affected people, Contact Officers are exposed to accounts and material relating to the traumatic experience of others. Vicarious trauma is the cumulative effect of this exposure.
While the Contact Officer role is vital for a healthy and supportive workplace culture, the impacts mean that organisations need support systems in place for Contact Officers – to sure their wellbeing and the overall effectiveness of the Contact Officer Program. Here are a few ways organisations can minimise the risk of negative impacts.
Contact Officer Training
Contact Officers need comprehensive training because their role is highly sensitive and requires a specific, structured skill set to be performed effectively and safely for both the person seeking help and the officer themselves. Without training, there are significant risks of causing harm, overstepping boundaries, and creating potential legal liabilities for the organisation. Contract Officer training should include:
- Understanding the Role and its Limitations: Clear definition of the function—to listen, provide information about options, and refer—and an explicit understanding that they do not investigate, mediate, or resolve complaints.
- Definitions of Unlawful Behaviour: Comprehensive knowledge of what constitutes discrimination, sexual harassment, bullying, and victimisation, as well as their impacts on individuals and the workplace.
- Confidentiality and Duty of Care: Training on the strict importance of maintaining confidentiality, but also the exceptions (e.g., immediate risk of serious harm, serious criminal activity) and how to escalate those issues appropriately.
- Effective Communication: Skills for conducting sensitive one-on-one meetings, de-escalating challenging emotions, and asking the right questions to help employees explore their options. Techniques to listen effectively, show empathy, and ensure the distressed person feels heard without the Contact Officer forming personal views or offering personal advice.
- Referral Skills: Knowledge of internal and external support services and how to effectively guide employees to these resources.
- Record Keeping: Clear instruction on what to document, how to record and store information to protect confidentiality and support any future requirements.
- Scenario-Based Learning: Practical, hands-on training using real-world scenarios or role-playing to build confidence in handling conversations and navigating complex situations.
- Self-Care and Coping Strategies: Proper training in self-care helps contact officers establish and maintain healthy boundaries between their role and their personal life. Mental, emotional and behavioural strategies, and the basics of rest, exercise, and healthy eating to help maintain energy and engagement should be included.
Contact officers require regular refresher training to ensure their skills remain current as legislation and best practices evolve. Refresher training can foster the development of a peer support network, enabling Contact Officers to confidentially share experiences and seek advice from one another. 
Defining Clear Boundaries
Ensuring role clarity through defining what is and isn’t within scope of the Contact Officer role is essential. Contact officers play a crucial role by listening to employees and providing them with options, but expectations need to be clearly defined to ensure there is a clear understanding that Contact Officers are not responsible for solving the problems of affected individuals. This approach helps prevent Contact Officers from becoming overwhelmed by the emotional load of the role.
Access to Support
EAP is a cornerstone of workplace support, offering confidential counselling and support for a wide range of personal and work-related issues. It might be obvious, but Contact Officer should be frequently reminded, and encouraged, to uptake EAP sessions, as well as external services like their GP, Beyond Blue and Lifeline. This will assist in offloading some of the emotional load in a safe, confidential environment.
Supervisors of Contact Officer’s should be trained to spot the signs of distress, have supportive conversations, and refer Contact Officers to appropriate resources without acting as a counsellor themselves. Regular one-on-one check-in meetings to specifically discuss the wellbeing of Contact Officers is best practice. Leaders should ask open-ended questions like, “How are you managing your energy?” or “What support do you need from me?” to encourage open communication.
Ongoing Monitoring
While maintaining confidentiality regarding the specifics, supervisors of Contact Officers can monitor the number of interactions each Contact Officer handles. Tracking data helps identify peak periods or emerging trends that may indicate increased risk and enable proactive intervention.
Monitoring also extends to maintaining awareness of work hours, productivity, and utilisation of leave to uncover any indicators of potential or actual burnout. Offering practical workplace adjustments when needed, such as flexible working hours or modified duties, can help manage symptoms of burnout and stress.
Anonymous Feedback Channels
Establish an anonymous avenue for all employees – including Contact Officers – to raise concerns about workload, lack of support, or systemic issues they are noticing without fear of repercussion.
What can we here at Worklogic do to help?
Our expert consultants provide Contact Officer Training to ensure your Contact Officers are suitably equipped and supported to take on this very important role while maintaining safe boundaries and wellbeing. Head to our training page for more information.
If you want to know more about options for anonymous reporting line, Worklogic offers the Integrity Line service. A 24/7 reporting channel where reporters can choose to disclose their identity, remain anonymous, or choose to be ‘partially anonymous’. Contact us to learn more.
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