Workplace Violence With Script

Workplace Violence
(We’re Not in Mayberry Anymore, Barney)

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This PowerPoint is designed to be used by organizations desiring to provide training and education to staff about workplace violence. The slides alternate between a “notes” page (light background – dark green text) that can be used for dialogue (by a presenter or simply to be read by the viewer), followed by the descriptor slide page (dark background – white text and additional graphics). (Thus, the following text below goes with the next slide, and so forth.) If this presentation saves only one workplace from a workplace violence incident, I will consider this presentation a resounding success. Good Luck. Lee
And here we go…
There was a time, and some of you probably remember, that where people lived and worked was probably just as safe as Mayberry, the home of Sheriff Andy Taylor, Deputy Barney Fife, Aunt Bee, Opie and all the rest of the residents there.
The greatest fear those folks probably had was whether or not it would rain for the Fourth of July parade. But…times have changed.

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I want to start by sharing some statistics with you that might really surprise you. Recent figures show that about 15 percent of all people will report serious or repeated abusive behavior, and between 30 and 40 percent of people will report that they’ve been victims of occasional bad behavior in the workplace. According to Dr. Stephen Hart, Director of ProActiveReSolutions, over 1 million (and possibly as many as 2 million) violent crimes occur in the workplace every year in the United States. He goes on to say that 80 percent of employees report being aware of someone being a victim of workplace violence, and about 1/5 of employees report being fearful of workplace violence on a daily basis.

15% - some serious or repeated abusive behavior
30-40% - victims of occasional bad behavior
Between 1 million and 2 million every year
80% - aware of someone being a victim
20% -fearful on a daily basis
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A final sobering figure is this: there were over 600 workplace homicides in 2007; about 500 men (about 10% of all men’s fatalities at work), and a little over 100 women (about 27% of all women’s).

600 workplacehomocides in 2007
About 5oo men (10% of all men’s fatalities at work); 3rd highest cause of workplace deaths for men
Slightly over 100 women (27% of all women’s fatalities at work); #1 cause of workplace deaths for women
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Let me start by giving you a general definition of workplace violence, although you may be thinking “this is pretty self-explanatory. “ However, this definition might include more than you think.
Notice that it includes verbal and behavioral threats as well as actual assault. This definition is critical, for it includes abusive behavior - such as gossiping, teasing, taunting, violating a person’s personal space, and harassing comments.

--DEFINITION--
A verbal threat, threatening behavior, or physical assault occurring in, or arising from the workplace
Includes:
Gossiping
Teasing
Taunting
Violating personal space
Harassing comments
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Although not overtly violent, these behaviors are important to include, because they are, or can be, “emotionally/psychologically violent,” and oftentimes, behavior that isn’t actually physical is ignored. You know: “That’s just how Bob is;” or, “Oh, Jane didn’t mean what she said, she was just having a bad day;” and so forth. But these behaviors are like bees or wasps; one sting every so often may only be annoying, not harmful, but repeated stings can cause one serious problems. And you never know if someone might be “allergic” to a certain comment, due to their background and personal history, which could result in their violent retaliation against the person.

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Emotional/Psychological Violence

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So, what is the “workplace?” Well, that’s pretty easily answered; it’s any place where an employee does work. Of course, that includes any off-site places where the employee goes to transact business – businesses, homes, inside or outside. When you think about it, the workplace of a sheriff or deputy, for example, would be anywhere and everywhere he or she happens to be. Don’t forget that the parking lot is also part of your workplace, as well as stairwells, elevators, and other places that would be more isolated than your regular work area.

The Workplace is:
Any place you do work for your employerIncludes:
On or off site
Parking lot
Less visible places – stairwells, elevators
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Let’s now talk briefly about the five categories of people that make up the potential perpetrators of violence.
These five are co-workers, managers/supervisors, former employees, strangers and customers/clients. Think about these categories, write them down quickly on a piece of paper, and then I’m going to let you guess what percentage of workplace violence acts each group makes up.

Five categories of people
Co-workers
Managers/supervisors
Former employees
Strangers
Customers/clients
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Here’s the 5 percentage numbers, in no particular order – 44, 24, 20, 7, and 3. Jot them down, and try to match each number with the group. No looking ahead!!

20
44
3
24
7
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Hey!!!! No looking ahead!!

What percent of which?
Co-workers …
Former employees
Strangers
Customers/clients
____
____
____
____
____
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The least likely group to commit violence is …
former employees – 3 percent. This surprises a lot of people; many think it’s much higher. But that misconception is probably due to how much publicity those situations get in the media - everyone has heard the term “going postal”, for example.

Co-workers …
Former employees
Strangers
Customers/clients
____
____
____
____
3
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Ok, bosses come in at…
7 percent. (So now you can go tell your boss that you feel much safer around him or her!)

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Co-workers …
Former employees
Strangers
Customers/clients
____
____
____
7
3

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Next…
are co-workers at 20 percent.

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Co-workers …
Former employees
Strangers
Customers/clients
20
____
____
7
3

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Strangers account for 24 percent, and…

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Co-workers …
Former employees
Strangers
Customers/clients
20
____
7
3
24

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and a whopping 44 percent of all violent workplace events are caused by the customer!
So customers are 15 times more likely to commit a violent act in the workplace than former employees. That certainly is something to think about!

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Co-workers …
Former employees
Strangers
Customers/clients
20
7
3
24
44

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So, at this point, an important question comes to mind. Have you actually given much thought to how you would respond to a violent situation? Does your company/ organization/ agency have a workplace violence response policy?
It’s probably pretty normal to not give this much thought. It can’t happen here, right? Well, that’s not necessarily true; it can happen anywhere and periodically there should be some discussion in organizations about the policy, what employees would do if it happens, and so forth. Your company/ organization/agency should have a policy (and procedures) to deal with situations that could arise, depending on the kind of customers you and your fellow workers see on a daily basis.

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Something
to
think
about…

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So what kind of situations can cause violent behavior? It could be any number of issues, or a combination of things that cause a person to choose violence. Often it comes after a breakdown of a person’s support system. Support systems can include family, home, school, peer groups at work, church, and romantic relationships. If one or more of these systems fails, a person finds themselves without that group to lean on, and could be more susceptible to violence.

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What causes violence?
Breakdown of support systems
Family
Home
School
Church
relationships

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Personal factors include excessive use of alcohol, an aggressive history, a lack of positive self-esteem, and what he calls psychological (emotional) aggression.

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Personal factors
Excessive use of alcohol
Aggressive history
Lack of positive self-esteem
Psychological aggression

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Workplace factors include the person having a perception of an injustice done to them by an organization, electronic monitoring by the organization (which can be thought of by the person as an invasion of privacy), and job insecurity (due to downsizing, reductions in force, and so on – and think about that in today’s economic culture!).

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Workplace factors
Perception of injustice done
Electronic monitoring – perception of invasion of privacy?
Job insecurity

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Other warning signs of a potentially violent person could include such things as over responding/over reacting to situations, talking of a plan to hurt self or others, constantly blaming other people or situations for their problems, fascination with weaponry or other acts of violence, an inability to take criticism, and violence toward inanimate objects.

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Warning signs
If a person:
Over-reacts to situations
Talking of plans to hurt self or others
Always blaming someone/something for problems
Fascination with weapons and acts of violence
Inability to take criticism
Violence towards inanimate objects

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A note of caution: watch for these things in terms of how many signs there are, and how frequent someone exhibits them. In other words, just because someone got a little defensive about a mistake they made, or someone mentions that they are pleased with the new shotgun they bought to go pheasant hunting with, does not make them a potentially violent person!

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Another area that you want to give some thought to is what is called your “risk factors” at work. Every job has them. Here are some examples of risk factors. As you review them, see if any of them fit your work and workplace. Perhaps you have some unique risk factors in your workplace; think about what they might be, and keep those in mind during your workday.

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Risk factors
Isolated work area
Working nights/evenings
Poor lighting outside
High crime area
No controlled access to work site
Working with people with history of violence
Access to potential weapons
LACK OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROCEDURES
Working with cash or drugs
Lack of escape route
High stress environment
Lack of training and support

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So what can you do to reduce the risk of violence in your workplace? First of all, as we talked about a moment ago, your organization needs to make sure that violence in any form is not accepted, and that there are effective policy and procedural guidelines in place for handling those situations. It would be good if those procedures included such things as how to ask for emergency assistance by phone or by alerting other staff, after hours security and emergency response procedures, and provision for periodic training and education for all staff. Also, every employee (and especially managers and supervisors) can help by ensuring that all employees are treated with dignity and respect.

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Reducing the Risk
Zero tolerance
Up to date policies and procedures
Emergency response procedures
After hours security
Training and education for all staff
Treat all with dignity and respect

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So although you hopefully never have to deal with a situation involving violence, let me review some recommended “do’s” and “don’ts” with the person or persons here.
The “do’s”…

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Workplace Violence – “Do’s”
Assess situation; remain calm and attentive
Seek to understand; ask questions
Show empathy and interest; encourage discussion
Stand at right angles
Ask for small favors
Use delaying tactics
Point out choices
Accept criticism positively
Try to keep your escape route open
Have third person present, if possible
Have neutral body language

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And the don’ts…

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Workplace Violence – “Don'ts”
Don’t have aggressive stance
Don’t reject demands at beginning
Don’t make light of situation
Don’t lie or make false promises
Don’t use complicated language
Don’t disagree
Don’t show anger or fear
Don’t patronize the person
Don’t “get in their space”
Don’t make sudden movements, threats, or dares
Don’t put them down
Don’t criticize
Don’t try to bargain

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In conclusion, a safe workplace is everyone’s concern and responsibility. You are now more aware of the important issues that workplace violence involves. Be mindful of the warning signs of violence, and do not, I repeat, do NOT allow emotional violence to go by without addressing it with your supervisor or a manager. Also, be aware of your agency’s current policies and procedures on workplace violence, and ask to see it if you haven’t looked at it recently. If one doesn’t exist, I would recommend that you encourage management to consider developing one.
Thank you for taking a few minutes to review this important topic with me. Have a good day, and keep your workplace safe and violence free!

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Workplace
violence…
Nip it!!
Nip it
in the bud!!!

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Developed by:
Lee Lundberg, PHR
Human Resource Management Services
Office of Management and Budget
State of North Dakota

Workplace Violence With Script

by HR Mgmt Svcs

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