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Workplace Violence Prevention Toolkit:
HR professionals and managers must deal with the horrific possibility of violence erupting in their own facilities. The goal is to help employers prevent tragedies like those that have made news across the nation in the past several years.
Preventing workplace violence in 5 steps:
1. Screen applicants
Your best chance to avoid workplace violence is to avoid letting in a violent person in the first place. Ask all applicants for personal as well as professional references. Insist on a face-to-face interview so managers can gauge an applicant's temperament. Ask everyone who comes in contact with the applicant about their impressions.
Then trust your gut. Does this person seem stable?
2. Craft a tough anti-violence policy
You need a policy that stands on its own-not part of some other general policy on professional behavior or misuse of office equipment. That sends the signal that you're serious about preventing workplace violence.
3. Establish a crisis management team
A crisis management team consists of six to eight people who function as coaches before violence erupts and incident managers if it does. Include staffers from the HR, legal and security functions. There should be a representative from senior management and your employee assistance program if you have one.
4. Train front-line supervisors and greeters
These people are your eyes and ears, your early warning system. They'll probably know if someone is about to become violent long before anyone else does.
5. Publicize your anti-violence program
Use meetings, newsletters, e-mail and the intranet to get the word out that your organization has a zero-tolerance policy on workplace violence. Be sure everyone knows how to contact the crisis management team and when to call 911.
Warning signs of violent employee behavior:
When violence occurs at work, employees may say their violent co-worker "just snapped." But, the truth is, people usually don't snap. They display warning signs long before they actually act out. The key is to talk to employees early in this "pre-violence" stage to offer assistance and let them know their behaviors are unacceptable.
Be on the lookout for workers who display any of these eight warning signs of violent behavior:
1. Fascination with weapons
(that's different than ownership of weapons)
2. Substance abuse
Research shows a big correlation between substance abuse and violence.
3. Severe stress
Stress is a function of modern society but people with a propensity toward violence allow that stress to become an excuse for violence.
4. Violent history
Once people cross that moral, ethical or professional barrier into violence it's a lot more likely they will do it again.
5. Decreased or inconsistent productivity
Employees with a tendency toward violence also often have a harder time keeping a consistent level of productivity.
6. Social isolation and poor peer relationships
Loners are more likely to act violently because they don't have a social
network to work out problems.
7. Increasingly poor personal hygiene
These people may have moved into the dangerous "I don't care" phase.
8. Drastic changes in personality
It's not necessarily the ultra-shy or ultra-outgoing employees you need to pay attention to, but rather the person who flip-flops between the two.
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