The state of the economy, the ongoing stress of Covid, and employee shortages have everyone on edge. As a result, there is a heightened chance of workplace violence now more than ever before. As a business owner, it’s essential to learn how to prevent altercations at work and keep everyone safe. Here we outline 4 ways to prevent workplace violence and ensure the safety of your staff and customers.
What is Workplace Violence?
According to OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), nearly 2 million people are hurt each year by violence at work. Workplace violence is any act or threat of violence that includes intimidation, harassment, physical assault, verbal abuse, and other disruptive behaviors that make people feel unsafe. It can also include damage to company resources or theft of assets.
Some incidents of workplace violence stem from domestic abuse or bullying outside of work that has migrated to the workplace environment. Regardless of the cause, workplace violence is a serious concern for businesses and employees.
Tips to Prevent Workplace Violence
The best thing you can do to prevent workplace violence in your organization is to beef up security and make it extremely difficult for anyone with harmful intent to enter the premises.
Certain businesses may be more prone to workplace violence, such as taxicab companies, healthcare organizations, stores that are open late, and businesses that deal in cash. Some tips to prevent workplace violence are:
Create a Workplace Violence Prevention and Response Plan
Train every staff member on how to prevent workplace violence, report any threats or suspicious activity, and perform drills using your workplace violence response plan. You will never know how ready you are to deal with a dangerous situation until it happens. Planning and rehearsing are the best ways to be prepared, so there are no surprises.
Conduct a Safety Audit
Audit the entire company looking for safety vulnerabilities and implementing changes. Hire more security personnel, install cameras for surveillance, and enhance your security practices, so nothing is left to chance.
Prioritize Mental Health in the Workplace
Conduct routine evaluations of everyone you employ to ensure each person has adequate resources to deal with stressful situations or mental health issues. This one tip could prevent a workplace violence incident by assisting someone in getting the help they need. In addition, train management to watch for warning signs or odd behavior that might indicate insider intent.
Review and Analyze Your Termination Policy
It’s an excellent time to review and analyze your termination policy. These types of incidents often occur after someone is let go from their job. Educate yourself on the signs to watch out for and the personality types most likely to cause trouble after being laid off or fired.
Finally, encourage a culture of reporting anything that appears to be “off.” Involve everyone from the highest level of management to the last person hired in the process of keeping the entire company safe. You cannot do enough to prevent workplace violence. Take steps now to prepare before anything serious happens within your organization.
If you want more information about workplace violence and how to prevent it, contact DMAC Security today.
