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Preventing and Managing Workplace Violence Employee Education

Preventing and Managing Workplace Violence Employee Education. Stephen D. Hart, Ph.D. Proactive Resolutions Inc. Why Educate?. Three concerns: Humanitarian Negative impact on well being of staff, clients Economic Costs money, bad publicity Legal Statutory and common-law requirements.

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Preventing and Managing Workplace Violence Employee Education

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  1. Preventing and ManagingWorkplace ViolenceEmployee Education Stephen D. Hart, Ph.D. Proactive Resolutions Inc.

  2. Why Educate? Three concerns: • Humanitarian • Negative impact on well being of staff, clients • Economic • Costs money, bad publicity • Legal • Statutory and common-law requirements

  3. Goals of Education Give employees the knowledge and skills to: • Recognize warning signs • Ensure the physical safety of staff and clients once warning signs are evident • Report and document the presence of warning signs • Ensure that victims receive adequate follow-up

  4. Definition • Actual, attempted, or threatened physical harm of an employee or the employee’s family, friends, or property • Includes fear-inducing behavior • Unique social context

  5. Continuum • Violence usually is the end result of an escalation of conflictual behavior • Threats with weapons • Assault • Homicide • Verbal threats • Destruction of property • Tantrums • Insults • Swearing • Shouting

  6. Cause • The cause of workplace violence is a decision to act violently • Conscious, deliberate, and goal-directed • The nature of the decision and the way in which it is made are influenced by a host of biological, psychological, and social factors • Corollary: People can choose not to be violent

  7. Who and Why • Perpetrators fall into four major groups • Strangers, clients, co-workers, family or friends of co-workers • Motives fall into four major categories • For-profit, conflict (“grudge”), relationship problems, romantic (sexual) obsessions

  8. For-Profit • Context is retail or financial business • Perpetrator is a stranger • Motive is material gain • No direct warning signs, but: • People loitering near the business, increase in local crime rate

  9. Conflict • Context is health or social service • Perpetrator is an acquaintance, such as a disgruntled client or co-worker • Motive is to communicate distress in response to a perceived wrong • Warning signs: • Escalating conflict, aggression, violence; extreme stress, emotional or mental problems

  10. Relationship Problems • Perpetrator is current or former intimate partner of a female co-worker • Motive is to re-establish or protest termination of relationship • Warning signs • Recent relationship break-up, history of spousal violence, harassing behavior, extreme stress, emotional or mental problems

  11. Romantic Obsessions • Perpetrator is co-worker — possibly single, lonely, male • Motive is to establish intimate relationship • Warning signs: • Inappropriate interest in co-worker, emotional or mental problems

  12. Loitering strangers Increase in local crime rate Escalating conflict Relationship conflicts Romantic obsessions Extreme stress Emotional or mental problems Insulting, discriminatory comments or behavior Violent thoughts or fantasies Bringing weapons to the workplace Warning Signs: Summary

  13. Principles of Intervention • Recognizing context to maximize options • Violence is an interpersonal act • Decisions to act violently are influenced by a individual, interactional, organizational, and extra-organizational factors

  14. Individual

  15. Interactional

  16. Organizational

  17. Extra-Organizational

  18. Principles of Intervention • Prevention • Preventing conflict is easier and cheaper than responding to violence • Preventing further violence is easier and cheaper than dealing with the aftermath of violence

  19. Prevention • Dynamic security • Risk analysis • Hazard accounting • Employee education • Recognize warning signs • “Straight Talk” • Respectful workplace policy • Conflict management procedures

  20. Prevention (cont.) • Static (physical) security • Visibility • Surveillance • Barriers • Memory aids

  21. Principles of Intervention • Proportionate response • Employers must do all that is necessary to prevent (further) violence • Employers must not infringe rights or freedoms more than is necessary to prevent violence

  22. Response • Workplace violence policy • Employee education/training • Respond to warning signs to ensure safety • Documentation and reporting procedures • Oral and written • Crisis management procedures • Liaison with law enforcement and private security • Threat management team • Follow-up services

  23. Response (cont.) • Response options • Corrective • Assessment, conferencing, mediation, arbitration • Retributive • Censure, discipline, suspension • Incapacitative • Dismissal, referral to police • Response plan should always include monitoring (follow-up)

  24. Contact Information • Stephen D. Hart, Ph.D.Director, Training and DevelopmentProactive Resolutions Inc.Canadian Office3260 Pleasant StreetRichmond, BC V7E 2P2Tel: 877-585-9933 / Fax: 604-275-8264

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