WORKPLACE VIOLENCE:  Policy and Planning

 

Does Your Company Have a Workplace Violence Prevention Program?

Do you know what it consists of?

Do you know the last time it was implemented?

Do your key staff know how to use it?

Workplace Violence has been on the corporate radar for over two decades.  It’s safe to say that most large companies by now have bought some kind of consultation, training or materials in an effort to achieve some level of prevention of or protection from violence at work.  This has been in the form of some combination of the following:

• A comprehensive workbook or manual:  the “do it yourself” approach.
• A training video, accompanied by a brief manual or workbook.
• Attending a half-day or one-day seminar.  Typically offered by law firms specializing in employment law, or by security firms. Focus varies accordingly, and tends to be narrow.
• Sending staff to a multi-day seminar by a big expert.  These typically focus on identifying warning signs of violent employees.
• Relationship with a vendor offering emergency tactical or clinical services.

It’s also safe to say that for most companies, their efforts have been limited to these and have been “one off” projects that may have resulted in the production and publication of a policy and the formation of a team of some kind but have not resulted in the development of a plan or any kind of sustained capability.  In our view, real capability means:

• A corporate policy that has been developed for and by the company.  It defines clearly what constitutes violence or violence-related behaviors and situations, and outlines notification procedures, processes for response, and consequences for violation.
• A workplace violence prevention and response plan supported by a multidisciplinary team.  The plan has been periodically validated through exercises carried out by the team.
• Early warning and reporting ensured through clear procedures backed up by effective training of management and supervisory personnel throughout the organization.
• Effective, best-practice threat assessment carried out by an appropriate professional and backed up by a multidisciplinary internal team to manage the assessment process.

Few companies meet these standards.  For any company, this is a dangerous and expensive vulnerability.

What we offer

• Review of your current vulnerability and capability, including review of WV Policy, related policies and procedures, team configuration and readiness.
• Team training, ideally through a tabletop exercise.  This is of critical value if your company has a policy but never tested and validated it.
• Training, including unique, innovative, interactive e-learning options.  These training offerings are optimally paired with consultation involving system-level analysis of vulnerabilities and capabilities and the creation of internal procedures and resources to ensure early notification and effective decision-making at appropriate organizational levels.
• Emergency intervention regarding assessment and management of threats, hostile work climates, suicides, and terminations/layoffs.  Combined psychological, forensic, and tactical approaches.