Taking Action Against Workplace Violence To many people, the thought of violence in the workplace is an unimaginable event. Yet, the fact is that the threat of workplace violence is a real issue and Human Resources professionals are adding violence prevention to their existing list of responsibilities. However, even those employers that consider violence in the workplace to be a serious issue may not be taking the most practical approaches. Understanding and preparing for this growing phenomenon and identifying key points may help prevent it from becoming a reality. Workplace Violence Consideration The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines workplace violence as: any act of physical violence, threats of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening, disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site. Workplace violence can affect or involve employees, visitors and/or contractors. A number of different actions in the work environment can trigger or cause workplace violence. It may even be the result of non-work-related situations such as domestic violence or "road rage." Workplace violence can be inflicted by an abusive employee, a manager, supervisor, co-worker, customer, family member, or even a stranger. Whatever the cause or whoever the perpetrator, workplace violence should not be accepted or tolerated. The Impact According to the Society for Human Resource Management's survey on workplace violence, 57% of HR professionals indicated that violent incidents have occurred at their offices during a two and a half year period. This had increased from 48% in the previous 30 months. Incidents covered in the survey range from verbal and physical abuse to homicide. While these statistics are serious, they don't account for indirect costs relating to decreased productivity, increased stress, and employee turnover. In 1970, OSHA began obligating employers to furnish every employee with a place of employment "free from recognized hazards that cause or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm." Violations of this act can be prosecuted by the federal government and it has been established that employers are obligated to "use reasonable care and refrain from knowingly retaining a person with known dangerous propensities in a position that would present a foreseeable risk of harm to others." Employees that are harmed by workplace violence may file claims against the employer for workers' compensation, negligent retention, negligent hiring and negligent supervision. The Risk Factors There is no single risk factor that always identifies a potentially violent employee, and we may hear that a violent act was committed by a "seemingly innocent" employee. Here is a list of red flags compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation: Repeated direct or veiled threats Obsessive involvement with the job Paranoid, aggressive behavior Obsession with weapons Unwanted romantic interest in a coworker Overreaction to company policies Refusal to accept criticism Interest in recently publicized violent events Increased mood swings Damage or destruction of company property Poor workplace relationships Decreased productivity or inconsistent work performance For a comprehensive report on violence in the workplace produced by the FBI, visit http://www.fbi.gov/publications/violence.pdf The Basic Steps Many businesses have company programs designed to prevent sexual harassment or accidents in the workplace. But few consider that a similar program or training session focusing on violence prevention may be just as critical. The first step would be to develop a written policy that firmly defines workplace violence, rejects any threats or violent acts in the workplace and requires employees to immediately report any threats or violent incidents. The policy should assure employees they are protected by the employer, and employees who report violent incidents are safe from any form of retaliation or discrimination. Ideally, this will be a part of the employee handbook. A second step would be to establish an effective pre-employment screening process. The best way to deal with potentially violent employees is to identify them before they are hired. Consider the following screening methods and check to ensure that your company is in compliance with local and state regulations that may prohibit discrimination based on any of these factors: Drug testing Criminal record and background check Psychological assessments References Third, develop a program for continuous training within your existing workforce. Training programs addressing violence in the workplace should focus on teaching employees how to recognize and report suspicious activities. It is also crucial to provide written information on who to contact in an emergency. Consider building your program around the following topics: Providing emergency treatment to victims Conducting debriefing sessions with employees after an incident Managing media coverage The Extra Mile Additional items to what has been recommended above would be to consider offering a confidential employee assistance program to help your employees resolve personal issues before they become disruptive and/or assist them in coping with incidents of workplace violence. Policies that encourage open communication in the workplace can help address concerns or grievances that might otherwise go unnoticed. Methods to open communication include; implementing complaint resolution procedures, establishing confidential hotlines, or allowing employees to leave anonymous notes for HR reps or supervisors. None of us can afford to ignore workplace violence. Incidents are too common and cause too much damage to be overlooked. Proactive steps such as screening, policies, training programs, and employee assistance programs may decrease the chances that a violent incident will occur in your workplace. Pre-planning and communicating these actions can also reduce employer liability if such an incident does occur. We should all examine our operations and workplace environment, and implement an individually tailored program built to reduce the threat of workplace violence.