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Managing
Violence and Aggression
on the Frontline
'A Case Study'
Nicole Vazquez and
Paula Durrans

2. 10 counties in England
and South Wales
A little about us…
9,500 services every week,
calling at 276 stations
Trains cover 70 million miles and carry
over 97 million passengers every year

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A little about us…
 We directly employ 5,500 staff, 75% are in customer facing
roles.
 I joined First Great Western in 2008, having worked for several
Inter City type companies including Virgin Trains, CrossCountry
etc.

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Our Challenges
 By the nature of our business, our frontline staff can and do
face violence and aggression for all manner of reasons
 There was a steady increase in incidents and in early 2009 we
reached a tipping point.
 Consequences
 staff reluctant to work
 poor morale
 increased sickness
 trade union interest…which all lead to a demoralized workforce.

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Our Challenges
 Before we could do anything we needed to:
 accept that we had a problem
 engage the “whole” of the company to commit to
dealing with the problem.

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The Goal…
'reduce the amount of conflict and
the number of violent and
aggressive incidents'

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The Plan…
 Set achievable outcomes
 Use a collaborative approach
 Improve control measures
 Devise a suite of training
 Measure the impact (along the way)
 Ask the experts!

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The 'how'…
Step 1
 Groundwork to engage 'everyone'
 Improve understanding of the risks and concerns of Frontline Staff
 Ensure Senior Management could see the business benefits
 Promotion and support from Middle Managers and H&S Team
 Involve British Transport Police
 Create Champions
= Focus Groups

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The 'how'…
Step 2
 Review of the Paperwork and Processes
 Clear definitions
 Clear expectations
 Consistent message
 Accessible reporting process
 Clear investigation and learning process
 User friendly guidance and support
= New Policy and Procedures

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The 'how'…
Step 3
 Communicate the message
 Managers
 New Starters
 On-Board Staff
 Station Staff
 Higher Risk Groups
= Suite of Training Workshops

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13. Messages
 FGW Approach
 Key Principles
 Assessment Tools
 Self Awareness
 Avoidance and Defusion Strategies
 Emergency and Exit Protocol
 Models to aid learning retention
 Building on existing training and skills
 Industry Standards – RSSB and BTP

14. Changing Messages
Goals
Powers
Limits

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Additional Course
 Support Workshops
 Offer guidance
 Increase confidence
 Self Reflection
 Challenge thinking
 Accelerate their return to productive work

16. What does success look like?…….
 Violence at Work Policy – familiar to all
 Over 4,000 staff trained
 Managers report:
 Changes in attitudes
 Changes in behaviour
 Easier to discuss incidents
 Better communication
 Measurable outcomes

17. What does success look like?…….
 Writing the strategy and producing all of the
associated policies and procedures along with
developing and delivering the initial training
courses took 2 years to deliver.
 By the end of the 4 year strategic period we
had achieved 19% year on year reduction in
personal security incidents and a significant
reduction in lost time.
 However – there is still a lot more to do and
our commitment to further reduce violence at
work and develop the skills of our customer
facing teams remains a priority for FGW.

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Any Questions?
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