This Web site is a component of the SAMHSA Health Information Network
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This Web site is a component of the SAMHSA Health Information Network |
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This Web site is a component of the SAMHSA Health Information Network. |
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Preventing Violence in the WorkplacePreventing Workplace ViolenceMany strategies have been proposed to reduce the risk or probability of workplace violence. Participants agreed that the appropriateness of a strategy varies as a function of the type of violence involved, as well as a number of other factors (corporate culture, number of employees, etc.) The Workplace Culture A work culture in which workers believe they are treated fairly, and believe that the firm deserves their allegiance, reduces the probability of violence. Commitment to the well-being of employees can be reflected in company policy for promotions and salary increases, supervision, and hiring. Companies with high morale place the worker first, even before the customer, and emphasize communication between worker and management, continuous training, and team work. Thecommitment of top management to worker morale is important. Studies of occupational safety find that, when top management puts a premium on safe working conditions, safe operating procedures are valued by the workers. Management-worker consultation regarding workplace decisions is in general a hallmark of high-morale finns. For example, grievances, which are intrinsically adversarial, are likely to be managed through negotiation and arbitration by labor-management committees. Workers who can trust management to listen, negotiate in good faith, and take complaints seriously, are less likely to respond violently to the frustrations of workplace life. Such workers can function under stress over long periods with fewer arguments with management and each other, with fewer accidents, and with greater productivity. Training Some firms have introduced quality circles and similar programs of worker self-management. The best training. informs people about company policies and the relationship between those policies and specific jobs. The best training involves people in interaction and trains people in work groups rather than as individuals. Training is more likely to be successful if it is repeated periodically. Managers are trained to take seriously worker complaints, even when workers' appraisals of situations are mistaken, and to acknowledge feelings. Management must balance their desire to protect the company from blame with concern for the well-being of the worker. Concern for the workers' wellbeing can be justified, if in no other way, by recognizing that suits for negligence incur legal costs, lost time, bad publicity, and residual bad feelings in the workplace. Rules Training regarding the nature of violence and harassment should be backed by company rules such as "verbal abuse is prohibited in this company. No member of the company may swear, yell, insult, or harass another member of the company. Physical abuse, including pushing, is prohibited." Issuing rules can help establish the company's expectations. Performance Reviews The detailed discussion of expectations recommended for the pre-employment interview should be repeated periodically throughout an employee's tenure. Promotioli policies may assist in establishing a benign workplace culture. Performance reviews can provide an opportunity for employees to assess the employer. Observers speak highly of the "360-degree" employee appraisal in which all of an employee's co-workers, including supervisors and subordinates, are asked to collaboratively assess the employee's strengths and weaknesses. The results of the assessment are reported in summarized form so that no particular appraiser is identified. This approach is reputedly far superior to the single-manager appraisal that is the basis for the usual performance review. Layoff and Firing Policy Layoffs are crises for those who lose their jobs and for those who survive. Some employers bring workers together to explore alternatives such as reduced work weeks for all, but when a layoff is inescapable, or when a particular individual is fired for cause (e.g., incompetence, unreliability, insubordination, drunkenness) counseling and out-placement help should be provided and the worker's contributions to the firm should be acknowledged. There should be time for the fired worker to say goodbye to co-workers, who may be able to reduce the negative effects. Treating laid-off and fired workers well is important not only for those workers, but for those who remain on the job who are less likely to be anxious about what might happen to them, and there will be less tension in the workplace. Job loss brings emotional problems stemming from loss of support, self-esteem and identity. Workers who are without membership in an organized religion, divorced or never married, live far from their families and have no close-knit group of friends, may be particularly vulnerable to persisting emotional and social distress. In the present economy, it may be difficult for the fired worker to find a new job. Research suggests that fired workers who do not find new jobs may not experience severe emotional problems until their job benefits expire-several months, perhaps a year or more, after a firing. If persons considered to be risks to themselves or others are laid off or fired, the employer might consider maintaining contact with them. Follow-up contact with fired workers can demonstrate the orga.riizatiori's sensitivity and may make it possible for the firm to become aware of~, and attempt to reduce, instances of the brooding antagonism that ~ffave-potential for violent eruption. Problems with follow-up contact include costs of the personnel who would be responsible, their training, and the management of the discomforts they might experience in carrying out their assignment. There aiso may be a potential for legal liabilities. Former workers may interpret a call from the company as motivated by guilt or by a desire to head off the former worker's legal action or personal retribution. Former workers also may feel themselves pursued by the company or kept under surveillance. Given the strength of arguments for and against continued company contact with the former worker, it is difficult to make a strong recommendation. It is important to examine the experience of employers who maintained contact with former workers. Pre-Employment Screening Screening applicants, especially by using a written device to identify violence-prone individuals, is not an effective strategy.. Many applicants who would not engage in violence are likely to be rejected along with applicants who might. Moreover, even the best screening device will not identify people who become violence-prone only in the course of their work. An alternative to screening is a pre-employment interview that explores the ability of applicants to fit into the work community. The interview should familiarize applicants with working conditions, including type of supervision, performance expectations, and the firm's obligations to the applicant. Among topics that should be explored are the possibilities of job redefinition and of layoff. Employee morale depends upon the belief that the firm is meeting its obligations. The hiring interview should be as detailed as possible regarding what applicant and employer expect of their relationship. The ability to work with others without undue friction might be recognized as a requirement for most jobs. Past work performance might be evaluated from the standpoint of its indications of ability to work cooperatively. A good interviewer should be alert to the role a new employee might play in the workplace. However, some employment systems require that rejection of an applicant must be justified on grounds of objective information. Guidelines should be developed for employment interviewers for rejecting applicants on the basis of anticipated conflict with co-workers. Role of Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Professionals and Other Mental Health Specialists Many of the problems of workplace violence require close coordination between management and mental health professionals, particularly when the worker is troubled or disturbed or dealingwith tensions arising from diversity or productivity pressures. Mental health professionals recommend a focus on the workplace context when treating a troubled worker, and the troubled workplace cannot be effectively treated without consideration of the individual workers. EAP units may combine the skills of those who work with individuals with the skills of those who work with groups and organizations. Teams that would be most useful to management would include professionals who can address the physical security, organizational development, and individual psychological needs. Such multidimensional EAPs are rare, but the need for such teams is urgent. There is uncertainty regarding the best relationship of an EAP to a company-whether the EAP should be an internal unit of the company or an outside contractor. As an internal unit, the EAP is likely to have established an intimate understanding of the company and its staff. As an external unit on-call to the company, the EAP may be more trusted by workers to protect the confidentiality of the treatment External EAPs receive more self-referrals than do internal EAPs. Nevertheless, the decision on whether to use an internal or an external EAP should be decided on a case-by-case basis. The growing reliance on managed mental health care raises important questions about the quality and coordination of mental health care. A concerted effort is needed within the mental health professions to establish therapeutic approaches to all issues of workplace safety, and to training practitioners in them. Guidelines that might help firms best use EAPs or mental health professionals when dealing with such issues would be very useful. Particularly troubling is the issue of the potentially dangerous employee. Firms should be helped to recognize at what point separation of the worker from the workplace would be justifiable, and how that might be managed. Both management representatives and representatives of unions would have to be involved in the formulation of such guidelines. This has not yet happened. Until it does, EAP professionals, working with their own consultants, together with management, may have to devise a course of action on a case-by-case basis. There is as yet no generally accepted therapeutic approach to helping a potentially dangerous worker. Some specialists explore the usefulness of psychotropic drugs, while some would recommend talk therapies, and some might explore behavioral therapies. There is much work to be done here regarding how best to help the potentially dangerous worker while safeguarding the well-being of co-workers. The Dangerous Worker Some work forces will include a worker who is truly dangerous. This individual is the man (rarely a woman) who is both belligerent and unbalanced, who voices threats that are only too believable, and who makes managers and fellow workers uneasy. Bringing such workers to the attention of counselors is sometimes difficult. People feel uneasy dealing with him. An anonymous call may be made to management about a worker making threats, but management may be reluctant to direct the worker to counseling. It is essential that firms have policies in place regarding treatment of potentially dangerous workers, before an event occurs. M hoc policies can be interpreted by the worker, and subsequently, a union or a court, as harassment The policies should provide criteria for identifying troubled workers, and should give the firm the right to direct workers to evaluation and counseling. The particular procedures of referral should be worked out jointly with the firm's EAP or with an outside mental health consultant Although such workers may not see themselves as requiring treatment, a skillful counselor often can gain the cooperation of an initially uncooperative client. Drugs and Alcohol In the Workplace Because of the widespread use of drugs and alcohol, and the documented relationship between substance abuse and violent behavior, every workplace should have a policy for dealing with the worker who comes to work intoxicated or who brings drugs or alcohol to the workplace. Distributing drugs or alcohol in the workplace may be a criminal matter, and is likely to result in reduced productivity and in tensions among workers, and creates a safety hazard. Although informed observers report that alcohol and drug addiction are highly resistant to treatment, many of those referred to treatment do eventually achieve sobriety. A complete program, involving not only identification but case management, including continuing services, such as those provided by twelve-step programs, may be necessary. Diversity If management establishes a commitment, it is possible to develop a policy in support of diversity. Once the policy is in place, management and workers can discuss issues as they arise. Managers may need training and support to manage problems that occur as a result of programs to support diversity, when employment opportunities are better protected for some employees than for others. Managers need to come to agreement with each other and with their superiors about appropriate treatment of people different from the majority in race, ethnicity, gender, or age. In any case, concerns about unfairness, and thus feelings of resentment, may be present in members of all racial, ethnc, gender, age, and sexual orientation groups. Workers Eeed to be made aware of feelings of isolation of the worker who is identified as the sole representative of a particular race, ethnicity, gender, or age. This awareness may come about through managerial discussions with individual workers, managerial addresses to work group meetings, or group discussions among workers. Security Measures Physical barriers and other measures can enhance the security of workers vulnerable to intruder violence. Convenience store workers, or others whose jobs require handling cash and dealing with the public, should have a small amount of cash on hand. Where possible, more than a single person should be present in the setting. The police can be made to feel welcome by serving coffee and making bathrooms available. Lighting should be adequate and video cameras can be introduced and maintained. Workers can be provided with 911 buttons or other means of contacting police. Service agencies should recognize the need for conflict resolution training for workers who are responsible for appraising client applications for help. Workers should know how to dc-escalate tense situations and should learn to find ways of acknowledging the legitimacy of clients' feelings even when the clients' wishes cannot be met. Training for workers vulnerable to verbal or physical assault-such as those in service agencies who meet the public, first-response workers including the police, firefighters, emergency aid technicians, and receptionists who act as gatekeepers-reassures them that management is aware of their situation. These workers on the firing line need the security that they know the right thing to do when faced with a potentially assaultive client. Measures for safeguarding employees through introduction of guards, cameras, and physical barriers should be adopted only after consultation with people in the workplace. Whatever the measures, they should fit into the culture of the workplace and should be acceptable to the people who work there. The presence of security guards can sometimes be reassuring, but at other times will foster a sense of risk rather-than safety. Employees who are being stalked need workplace protection. Worksites may be shifted, if necessary, so that the individual works in a protected situation not accessibie to the public. A photograph of the stalker might be made available to security people and to those members of the organization who meet the public. Co-workers may need to be reassured that they too are being provided protection, even though their risk is only that of the bystander. CMHS94 5002 |
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