When Values Collide: Understanding Moral Injury
Have you ever felt like your job asked you to go against your values?
That knot in your stomach, that deep discomfort, it’s more than just stress or burnout; it’s an occupational phenomenon called moral injury.
Moral injury is the distress we feel when we’re part of, witness, or are unable to stop something that goes against our deepest sense of what’s right. It's when the system, the situation, or the pressure from others forces you to act against your moral compass.
Examples of moral injury:
-A nurse forced to decide who gets the last available ventilator during covid.
-A bylaw officer clearing a homeless encampment, knowing there’s nowhere else for people to go.
-A chef asked to serve food that isn’t quite fresh just to save money.
These aren’t just hard days at work, they’re moments where personal integrity clashes with professional responsibility.
So what can organizations do to address the problem?
1. Create Psychological Safety
Make it safe for people to express their concerns openly without fear of blame. Normalize tough conversations.
2. Acknowledge the Conflict
Moral tension isn’t just part of the job. Recognize when people are being put in impossible situations and do what you can in your power to help, even if that means lending an ear and listening, it matters.
3. Clarify Ethical Support
Provide clear guidelines and support structures. One hospital I worked at held regular ethics rounds, where staff could process difficult decisions with peers and an ethics team. They also had EAPs and critical incident debriefings to help staff cope after distressing events.
4. Fix Broken Systems
If flawed policies or under-resourcing are the root of the issue and it’s in your power to do so, address them. Be transparent about progress, even when you don’t have updates. It builds trust.
5. Support Self-Care and Systemic Change
Yoga classes are nice. But they don’t fix systemic overload. One team I worked with saw rising burnout, and in response, management not only offered wellness resources but they also reviewed workloads and hired more staff. Real change requires both individual and organizational care.