Program seeks to stop violence before it starts
Program seeks to stop violence before it starts
Education and defined responses aid success
What’s the best way to tackle the disturbing (and growing) trend of workplace violence? Place an emphasis on preventing it from occurring in the first place.
That’s the assertion of two clinical psychologists in Atlanta who have developed an intense one-day workplace seminar to help educate employees about workplace violence and encourage the development of a set of policies and procedures to deal with the danger signals of potential violence when they arise.
"Violence is the leading cause of death among women in the workplace and the second-leading cause for men," says Barry C. Klein, PhD, one of the principals of Associates for Relationship Effectiveness (A.R.E.). "Just the threat of violence produces sufficient fear to impact both productivity and absenteeism, and yet very few companies have formal policies and procedures addressing the issue."
The A.R.E. seminar has these key education goals for participants:
• Develop an awareness of the potential for violence in the workplace.
• Develop an understanding of the relationships between anger, aggression, and violence.
• Learn about pre-employment screening for potential violence.
• Learn to recognize the early warning signs of a potentially violent person or situation.
• Learn how to intervene in a potentially violent situation.
Develop policies and procedures for the prevention of workplace violence.
Taking violence seriously
The key goal of the program is to get employers and employees to take workplace violence seriously, says Klein. "We show participants a video vignette based on a true story. Several employees are sitting in the cafeteria, and one begins talking about an executive, saying he’d like to Blow the bastard away.’ His friends laugh; eventually he does kill the executive."
Once this sobering message has been delivered, the program requires not only a clear set of policies and procedures but strong employer support of recognition and reporting. "This takes the onus off the employee; it not only legitimizes the problem but makes recognition of a potential problem mandatory," explains Howard M. Shapiro, MD, the other principal in A.R.E.
Mandatory reporting is one of the three major components of an effective set of policies and procedures, notes Klein. The others are early intervention and a systematic method for evaluating threats of violence.
"When people notice a potentially violent situation, they often wind up waiting to see what will happen and end up calling the police," Shapiro observes. "What they should be doing is creating an emotionally and socially safe workplace." Klein takes it a step further: "Companies have an ethical and legal obligation to provide a safe work atmosphere," he asserts.
Anger and conflict are normal human dynamics, adds Shapiro, but when they occur, "We must identify them and deal with them not sweep them under the rug."
A.R.E. has taken the prevention of violence even a step further with the development of a pre-employment screening device to identify high-risk individuals. "The appraisal includes family and work history," explains Klein, "as well as how the individuals respond to provocative questions."
The bottom line, says Shapiro, is that employees and employers are really the only individuals who can prevent workplace violence. "Law enforcement can only respond to the act," he observes. "But if people in your workplace are fearful, you already have a major health issue."
[Editor’s Note: For more information, contact: Associates for Relationship Effectiveness, 120 Brighton Circle, Alpharetta, GA 30201. Telephone: (770) 410-1173.]
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