Violence in the Workplace

Course Outline:
I. Causes and sources of workplace violence
o Aggressors
o Strangers
o Customers
o Employees
o Domestic disputes
o Victims
II. Prevention measures
o Security and safety readiness assessment
o Awareness and training
o Written policy distributed to every employee
o Simple procedure to report incidents
o Skills for resolving conflict, managing anger and dealing with hostile people
o Pre-employment screening
o Obtaining accurate references
o Testing
o Security
o Front desk preparedness
o Guard services
o Employee badges
o Access cards
o Threat assessment team
o Composition of team
o Conducting a risk assessment
o Organization policies, procedures and benefits
o Alternative dispute resolution (ADR)
o EAP (Employee Assistance Program)
o Work and family life programs that improve the workplace climate (e. g., job share, telecommute, flextime)
o Policies and procedures assessment to reduce, modify or eliminate factors that negatively affect the workplace environment
III. Identifying potentially violent situations
o Warning indicators
o Previous history of violence
o Intimidating or threatening behavior
o Antagonistic relationships and numerous conflicts
o Emotional problems and strange behavior, including substance abuse
o Triggering events
o Termination, layoff, suspension, passed over for promotion
o Disciplinary action, poor performance review or criticism
o Bank or court action (foreclosure, custody hearing)
o Personal crisis (failed romance, divorce)
o Benchmark date (anniversary, chronological age)
o Steps to take
o Provide verbal outlet for potentially violent person
o Use active listening allow person to vent without making judgments or
o Avoid confrontation
o Allow aggrieved person to suggest a solution
o Preserve the individual s dignity
IV. Dealing with a crisis
o Developing a crisis response plan. Procedures for:
o Calling for help and/ or medical assistance
o Notifying authorities
o Emergency escape routes, inside and outside the facility
o Securing the work area where the incident took place
o Accounting for all employees
o Identifying personnel who may be called upon to perform medical or rescue duties
o Debriefing the participants and identifying lessons learned
o Regularly evaluating and updating the plan
o Individual response plan
o Emergency response team plan
V. Recovering from a crisis
o Stage 1: Shock and numbness
o Stage 2: Impact and intense emotion
o Stage 3: Reconciliation