An antidote with a punch- Set your workplace violence training agenda

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By Erin Douglass

We've all read the stories of armed employees storming into workplaces to take out their anger—or frustration or disappointment—on supervisors and co-workers. In the days that follow such high profile events, the media buzzes with expert opinions, chilling statistics and somber soulsearching. And the talk, naturally, turns to how employers and employees can prevent violent incidents in the future.

While the number of on the job fatalities per year is a sobering one—6,023 in 1999 alone, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries—less than 15% of those deaths were caused by assaults or violent acts. And violence and assault-related workplace fatalities have declined over the past few years from a peak of 1,261 incidents—or 20.3% of total deaths—in 1995.

That's the goodish news. The cautionary note, however, is that violence continues to pose a threat to workers across industries.

What You Say You Do About It

A recent HR Executive survey on violence in the workplace reveals that the majority of organizations—75% of respondents—are concerned about the issue, even though only 61% say their employers have taken proactive steps to prepare for a violent incident.

Preventive steps include:

* spreading the word about the company's workplace violence policy, via the employee handbook and other communications (75%)

* thoroughly screening job applicants (70%), and

* training, whether it's geared toward staff and management (46%) or offered solely to the higher ups (22%).

Of those respondents who mentioned training as a preventive measure, 69% said that in-house trainers lead the sessions, as opposed to the 31% who bring in outside trainers. Interestingly, more than a third of those surveyed said their organizations had dealt with a workplace violence incident in the past five years.

Why Train

Despite the statistics and lurid media images, employers need not feel helpless in the face of workplace violence. Training from either an inhouse or hired expert offers one concrete solution.

Workplace violence trainer and hostage negotiator Larry Chavez points to three reasons why his clients—government agencies and the private sector alike—call.

1. Training saves people's lives. "Like sexual harassment and discrimination, workplace violence is a scourge," says Chavez. "But it has a different outcome. People are carried out of the workplace after a violent incident." Training gives workers practical ways to deal with suspicions, threats and emergencies—and helps prevent injuries or loss of life.

2. OSHA is watching. Employers know all too well that in the wake of a workplace violence incident, government investigators may be on their tails thanks to the Occupational Safety and Health Act, or OSHA, requirement that employers provide safe workplaces.

3. Civil liability hurts. "The civil liability involved is horrendous," says Chavez. Businesses large and small can be financially wiped out by an incident of violence on the job.

The Components of Training

OSHA's training materials for preventing workplace violence, while aimed at healthcare and social services workers, provide a useful guideline for any company looking to establish a training program.

The elements of effective training include:

* creating and communicating a workplace violence policy

* pinpointing risk factors for your business, industry or worksite

* outlining early warning signs of those likely to commit a violent act

* reviewing ways to prevent violent situations

* establishing ways to respond to a violent incident

* explaining how to locate and operate safety devices, and

* keeping records of workplace violence training programs and evaluating the programs regularly.

Trainer Larry Chavez focuses a lot on early warning signs during his workplace violence training sessions. He highlights personal traits such as a migratory job history and zealous political or religious beliefs, obsessions such as extreme involvement in one's job at the exclusion of all else and an unwarranted sense of entitlement, and actions such as sharp drops in productivity and overreactions to various stimuli.

But the veteran trainer recommends caution when documenting warning signs. Says Chavez: "You can't take a personnel action based on a few signs. These are just factors that give you the ability to articulate and track a problem."

Surprises to Trainees

Workplace trainers point to a number of facts and trends about workplace violence that catch listeners—often HR professionals—by surprise.

* It ain't over when it's over. Most violent cases occur after a worker has been terminated, often as many as 12 to 14 months after company ties are cut—ample time for finances to dwindle and emotions to fester. Awareness of this tendency forces supervisors to doublecheck their exit interview procedures and stay alert to the return of terminated souls.

* There are no snappers. "There is no such thing as a person snapping," stresses Trainer Chavez. "It's always a slow burn. And rarely is violence random. In general, people are targeted." He points to the November 1999 workplace shooting incident in Hawaii, in which the perpetrator targeted his work team, rather than a random group of employees, to avenge his recent termination. Knowledge of early warning signs and workplace violence trigger events helps avert such situations.

* Domestic violence spills over. When you hire a person, you often take on his or her homelife, for better or for worse. Effective workplace violence training addresses how to respond to employees who are plagued by domestic violence.

* Supervisors can be negligent. Often managers assume that the one responsible for hiring the individual—an HR director or recruiter—is to blame in the wake of a violent incident. In reality, an employee's direct supervisor is in a better position to respond to threats, deal with problems—and take the blame for nasty consequences. Making sure that supervisors go through workplace violence training is key.

* The blessing of hindsight. Reviewing violent incidents months or years after the fact, trainees often shake their heads in disbelief as to how they ever could have occurred. Again, training and awareness of both proper termination procedures and the possibilities of ex-worker retaliation can make all the difference. WSN