Have you ever thought this could occur at your place of business? According to OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration), some two million American workers are victims of workplace violence each year. Workplace violence can strike anywhere and no one is immune. “Many times the workplace violence comes from outside your organization and can happen either when strangers come into the workplace and engage in violence or when domestic violence from one of your employee’s family members spills out into your workplace”, states Melissa Fleischer, President of HR Learning Center. “All of these factors combine to make small businesses likely targets for workplace violence”. Furthermore, the Labor Department statistics show that one of the top four causes of on-the- job injuries is workplace violence!
Although experts agree, it is impossible to know when workplace violence might spill into your business; there are some ways you can take precautions.
1) Establish a zero-tolerance policy toward workplace violence. The policy should cover all employees, clients, visitors and anyone else who may come in contact with your employees. OSHA recommends a written program and this can easily be incorporated into your employee handbook. Make it clear that violence in the workplace will not be tolerated. Include training on what to do if violence occurs.
2) Promote respect. It is important to foster a day to day attitude of respect. Have close contact with your employees. Make sure that everyone is feeling a part of your organization.
3) Trust your instincts. Don’t ignore your internal warning system. Pay attention to warning signs. Meet often with your staff so they can voice concerns about safety issues.
Rutgers University published Warning Signs to Look for in Employees. They say that violent incidents ordinarily follow some sort of “trigger” that pushes someone to take drastic action. Be wary of employees who start to behave in the ways listed below:
• They say they’ve been treated unfairly
• They say they’re being forced to wait for something ( raise, promotion)
• They show signs of mental instability
• They begin to isolate themselves, are thought of as a loner
• They have recently been disciplined for something
If you have concerns about an employee, sit down and talk to the employee. Try to get to the bottom of the problem. Once you understand what the problem is, you can work on a solution.
It is also important to protect our employees from customers, strangers and outsiders as well. We must provide a secure and safe workplace. It needs to be well lit with bright and effective lighting. If necessary, install video surveillance and panic buttons. Make sure you have enough staff members working. Use drop safes so there is a limited amount of cash on hand. Again, the staff needs to be trained on how to recognize, avoid or diffuse potentially violent situations.
I have just presented some food for thought. We never expect this to occur in our businesses but we need to be more aware of our surroundings.
Let’s toast to a New Year filled with hope, good health and happiness!
