Workplace violence refers to threats or acts of physical violence directed against an employee or group of employees of a particular firm. This violence occurs at the workplace or outside of it. Possible perpetrators include customers, suppliers, owners of the company, or fellow employees. The FBI reports that nearly 2 million people suffer from some form of violence in the workplace. This violence ranges from verbal threats to acts of homicide. For example, did you know that 80% of active shooters target their co-workers? Preventing this kind of crime saves lives. Here are 4 ways to preventing workplace violence.
- Creating an Effective Workplace Policy
The first step should be the formulation of a policy on workplace violence. This policy should be preventative in nature. For example, employees are less likely to resort to violence if the organization has conflict resolution mechanisms that are effective and amicable. A company’s policy on workplace violence should be retributive as well. In other words, an appropriate, proportionate, and timely response to workplace violence is necessary. Possible responses include firing, suspending, or reprimanding the aggressive employee. Encouraging workers to report cases of workplace violence is an excellent idea as well. Doing so alerts the company to violations of its policies so that it can act decisively on these violations.
- Training Sessions for Employees
Employees violate rules developed by their employers if they feel that these rules are ineffective or unreasonable. Similarly, policies that guard against workplace violence fail if workers feel that these policies are impractical. How do you convince them that these rules are worthwhile? Training sessions will help you do that. For example, inviting a workplace violence lawyer to train your staff on this issue would help. Remember, lawyers, give specific examples in addition to quoting studies and reports. Employees will see the sense in your policies after they go through these training sessions. Consequently, they will embrace these policies instead of ignoring them.
- Manage Your Assets Carefully
Everybody loves money including your employees, customers, and suppliers. Some of them will feel like making a quick buck off your organization if they see that you manage your assets haphazardly. For example, robbers will survey your store to determine where you keep your money and other assets. A tight security system discourages them from robbing you. A weak one emboldens them. A robbery is a form of workplace violence because the robbers threaten your employees with violence. Some of these robbers will beat your workers mercilessly as they rob you. Preventing this kind of violence is possible if you invest heavily in security for your business and employees.
- Deal with Negativity Decisively
Dealing with negative practices and cultures within an organization prevents workplace violence. For example, bullying and harassment are common in many offices. These practices and cultures will reach a boiling point if you ignore them or deal with them condescendingly. This boiling point is workplace violence in some cases. For example, mental and emotional anguish is common in bullied staff members. Some of them suffer from psychological breakdowns as well. These breakdowns lead to workplace violence. Deal with negativity immediately and decisively. Doing so would prevent a bad situation from escalating into an unfortunate case of workplace violence.
