Checklist: Violence Prevention
The following checklists are designed to help employers prevent violence in their workplaces by implementing a comprehensive violence-prevention program. Incident management techniques are also included.
Checklist: Key resources to develop workplace violence prevention programs
- Recognize that violence in the workplace involves much more than shootings and stabbings
- Apply legal standards when handling violence in the workplace issues
- Set up a comprehensive violence prevention program
- Train managers, supervisors and employees
- Assess facility security and implement a security system tailored for your needs
- Enlist employee involvement in reporting threats
- Investigate threats fairly and take appropriate measures to ensure safety in the workplace
- Prepare to respond quickly and effectively to incidents of violence
- Model policy guidance and a sample policy for your business
Checklist: Employer steps to minimize liability for incidents of workplace violence
Management attorney and CCH-HRM Advisory Board member David Israel advises employers to prepare for violence by taking the following steps:
- Recognize the possibility that workplace violence can occur. Until employers recognize that possibility, they will not prepare seriously.
- Check external and internal security. Where appropriate, use a pass-card system and determine if more stringent security measures are necessary. External security should not permit uncontrolled access throughout a company.
- Identify top management individuals who may be likely targets and make access to them difficult.
- Develop a relationship with local law-enforcement officials. The one-hour time it takes to "meet and greet" a local peace officer to develop a relationship, as well as to identify an officer with the ability to help diffuse stressful workplace violence issues, may become the most critical key to avoiding future violent situations.
- Provide proper training for managers and supervisors. An organization's inability to address diversity issues is suggested as one significant cause of workplace violence. Also, supervisors need to know that domestic problems frequently create uncontrollable tension and potential workplace violence.
- Prohibit the possession of all weapons, either inside the workplace or transported in an employee's vehicle.
- Provide safety and awareness training for employees. Expect employees inside the workplace to ask strangers to identify themselves.
- Consider adding a special telephone hotline number so that employees can report suspicious activities or concerns of potential violence, sabotage or other acts of wrongdoing.
- Coordinate planning efforts with company's employee-assistance program. Identify a qualified psychologist through the employee assistance program (EAP) so that management concerns regarding a particular employee can be addressed quickly and constructively.
- Attempt to develop a workplace environment that fosters trust among existing employees--that trust can become the buffer that prevents volatile situations from becoming violent.
Checklist: Steps to prevent workplace violence
This 10-step approach to protect employees from violence was suggested in Violence in the Workplace, a comprehensive study of workplace violence:
- Encourage a supportive, harmonious work environment.
- Train employees and supervisors in conflict resolution.
- Develop effective policies against harassment and enforce them.
- Establish grievance procedures.
- Provide personnel support through an employee assistance program.
- Install security programs to protect employees.
- Encourage workplace safety training and programs.
- Provide assistance for employees who lose their jobs.
- Train supervisors to recognize the signs of a troubled employee.
- Establish a crisis plan.
Checklist: Identifying and Eliminating Workplace Gangs
Overview. Workplace violence is not a new concern for managers. Most companies are aware of the importance of providing a safe work environment. What is new: The corner gang has become a workplace issue. Gang activity has surfaced in corporations, and gang presence has an impact on the safety and security of the workforce.
There are generally two motivations for gang members to move into the workplace:
- to obtain benefits, especially health benefits; and
- to gain access to a large inventory of merchandise for theft and the transportation and sale of drugs.
Gang targets. Some businesses are more vulnerable to gang infiltration than others. Gang members seek the following types of businesses, generally due to the desire to steal:
- sales;
- computer sales and parts;
- electronic sales;
- hospitals; and
- transportation.
There are also certain types of jobs that gang members covet:
- maintenance;
- building engineer;
- mail room;
- warehouse/stock control;
- shipping and receiving;
- security; and
- information systems.
Review the hiring process. It is easier to prevent gang members from being hired than it is to get them out once you have hired them. However, it is not easy to identify gang members in the hiring process. As with any member of organized crime, they have become sophisticated at doing and saying the right thing in the interview process. The pre-employment screening process is the best method of prevention.
For every applicant, obtain the following:
- signed release to do a background check;
- verification of identity;
- driver's license number; and
- social security number.
Gangs are a form of organized crime and their members seek ways in which to pursue illegal activities with a legitimate cover or source.
Background checking. There are no unimportant jobs, including summer positions, temps, and part-timers; therefore, every new employee should be subject to a thorough background check. Be sure that references are verified by the former supervisor or authorized company representative.
Gaps in employment. Look closely at gaps in employment and investigate them. Have all former employers referenced gone out of business or moved? Does your hiring process ask about convictions? While they may sound innocuous, loitering convictions can be symptomatic of gang behavior.
Review outsourced work carefully. If you outsource your background checks, it is still the company's responsibility to know exactly what the outsourcer is doing. Be careful of companies promising a 24-hour turnaround--a thorough check will require several working days. Also, make sure your background checker has insurance for errors and omissions.
Identify workplace signs. How can you tell if a gang has already infiltrated your company? Since gang members typically have a need to be known, there are several types of signs that may appear:
Graffiti. To differentiate gang graffiti from simple vandalism, contact your local law enforcement agency. Larger agencies have specialists in gang activity and can "interpret" gang graffiti.
Tattoos. These are an extension of gang graffiti, and are often located in a visible place on the body.
Colors. These are often disguised by wearing the sports clothing of specific professional and college teams that have the same colors as a gang.
Supervisors should be aware of sudden support of teams, particularly during the off-season or geographically remote. Supervisors who are visible, active and involved in their work groups usually have a sense that there is unusual behavior occurring.
Eliminate workplace gang presence. If prevention efforts fail and gang members enter your workforce:
- enforce existing company policy,
- aggressively supervise the employee within normal standards,
- use local law enforcement as a resource, and
- coordinate activities with security personnel.
Checklist: Key criteria for a violence prevention team
- It is vitally important for the team to work together very well. They must be capable of working together in a crisis situation. Pulling rank and hurt feelings would impede the team's goal.
- Team members must have access to company information and financial resources. Since they will need to ask for and receive reports, operational changes and equipment, materials and supplies to make the plan work, team members will need to have the authority to make these things happen.
- The team must have a "can do" attitude. It must be composed of members who can make decisions and make them quickly--these people will have to decide on the best course of action to take in the midst of a crisis.
- The team should put the workplace violence policy together and come up with ideas. Fortunately, they will be able to build on programs and procedures that the employer already has in place. Team should begin by assessing current security, considering past incidents in its own workplace or similar ones, make plans for the future and communicate to employees.
Checklist: HR duties with a multidisciplinary workplace-violence prevention team
Human resources personnel play an important role on the multidisciplinary workplace violence prevention team, particularly in presenting and explaining how their programs contribute to workplace safety. In addition, human resources will provide training and many other services during the aftermath of an incident. Their contribution is outlined below:
Prevention
- Screen applicants effectively
- Train supervisors and managers to interview effectively
- Follow up on probation or introductory period employment decisions
- Conduct periodic employee surveys and encouraging feedback.
Training
- Identify training needs and deliver
- Provide contractual services, such as an EAP, effective health and welfare benefits and internal support systems
Performance reviews - Ensure reviews are timely, accurate, and consistent
Progressive discipline - Ensure legal compliance, consistency and fairness
Grievance monitoring
- Identify patterns or trends
- Communicate lingering issues to management
Exit Interviewing
- Identify patterns or trends
- Communicate issues to management
Survivors
- Notify next of kin
- Provide EAP support
- Benefits information and facilitation
Checklist: Profiles of potential perpetrators of workplace violence
Management needs to be aware of the warning signs discussed above. In addition, it needs a broader perspective that should include knowledge of the various "profiles" that have been drawn of likely perpetrators. These profiles are indicators of the "typical" employee perpetrator that have been assembled after studying similarities between the people involved in various incidents.
A cautionary note--employers must guard against stereotyping otherwise innocent people. If employers use profile information as just one way of looking at an employee's history, stereotyping will be avoided. The following profiles were developed by three respected workplace-violence experts:
Profile 1. Michael Mantell described the following profile in his book, Ticking Bombs, published by Irwin Professional Publishing, 1994.
- Disgruntled regarding injustice at work
- Socially isolated, may be a loner
- Poor or low self-esteem
- Cries for help
- Fascination with the military
- Gun or weapon collector
- Temper-control difficulties observed
- Makes threats
- Lacks outlet for rage or anger
- Excessive interest in media reports of violence
- Unstable family life
- Other employees show concern
- Chronic labor/management differences
- Unresolved physical/emotional injury claims
- Problems with working conditions
- Complaints about stress at work
- Male 30 to 40 years old
- Migratory job history
- Drug/alcohol abuse
- Mental illness
Profile 2. Dr. Anthony Barron presented the following profile in his book, Violence in the Workplace, Pathfinder Publishing, 1993.
- History of past violence
- Psychosis, loss of reality
- Romantic obsession
- Chronic dependence
- Depression
- Pathological blamer
- Environmental frustration
- Interest in weapons
- Personality disorder
Profile 3. Researchers at the Workplace Violence Research Institute have also identified common characteristics of a person prone to violence in the workplace. Security expert Chris Wright, who contributes to the Workplace Violence Research Institute, reminds employers that violence may come from an employee, former employee or an employee's jilted suitor or spouse.
Male. Even though women make up about 43% of the work force, most workplace violence incidents have been carried out by men. Psychologists believe that the violence-prone male is often a loner with no friends or family to provide him with a support system. This person's job is often his only connection to others, making a job loss psychologically traumatic.
Age 30 to 40. Men in their 20s are able to rationalize that a job loss is an opportunity to seek a better position. A person in his 40s, often with a migratory job history due to his violent behavior, will view a job loss as another act against him by those in power, creating feelings of failure and frustration. These feelings can trigger a violent reaction.
Migratory job history. Because of ways this employee deals with supervisors and coworkers and his disregard of company policies, he has had to make frequent job changes.
Chronically disgruntled. Many disappointments in life, frustrations and a typical loner nature often lead to a constant state of anger.
Sees unfairness and injustice. This person's troubles are always somebody else's fault and the person will seek revenge against them. The violence prone person will not accept responsibility for things that go wrong.
Violence influence. These men often read Soldier of Fortune type magazines and like violent movies and television because they tend to validate their own violent attitudes.
Drugs and alcohol use. Aggressive behavior can be increased by drug use. Alcohol is a contributing factor to violence because it has a disinhibiting effect. Substance abuse can also be linked to the transitory job history of some violence-prone employees.
Checklist: Symptoms of potentially violent behavior
- Increased use of alcohol and/or illegal drugs
- Unexplained increase in absenteeism
- Noticeable decrease in attention to appearance and hygiene
- Explosive outburst of anger or rage without provocation
- Depression/withdrawal
- Suicidal: Comments about "putting things in order" and the impact on others of his/her departure
- Frequent, vague physical complaints
- Noticeably unstable emotional responses
- Behavior that suggests paranoia--"Everybody is against me"
- Talking about previous incidents of violence (child/spouse abuse; barroom fighting)
- Increased mood swings
- Inappropriate comments to coworkers and supervisors about other employees or situations
- Resistance and overreaction to changes in procedures and policies
- Repeated violations of company policies
- Increase of unsolicited comments about firearms and other dangerous weapons, violent crimes, and empathy with individuals committing violence
- Escalation of domestic problems
- Large withdrawals from or closing account in company's credit union
Other problems and events can be also indicators. Some may be continuing problems, like those related to finances, child-rearing and other family problems. Events, such as a death, divorce, accident, and illness, can also be triggers.
Reprinted with permission. © CCH