Featured Research : Training - A Critical Step In Mitigating Workplace Violence

Preparing your organization for the worst

 

In the wake of workplace threats and incidents nationwide, businesses are taking a closer look at their own threat and crisis management plans and policies. HR is an essential component in planning for workplace emergencies, from the conceptual stages to employee training, which is a critical step in mitigating workplace violence.

Recent findings suggest training may be one of the key ingredients to enhancing workplace safety according to a recent survey and research study: “Keeping the Workplace Safe from Threats.” The study was conducted by HR.com in partnership with Paycom and Dr. Larry Barton, the highest-rated instructor at the FBI National Academy and U.S. Marshals Service. According to the study, 56% of safe workplaces provide training to help their employees spot warning signs of threatening behavior.

Although the number of small and mid-sized organizations that provide training is lower than in large organizations, the general trend still holds. That is, organizations of all sizes that provide workplace threat assessment and action training are rated as safer than are organizations that do not provide such training.

Among larger organizations that are in the “safe workplaces” cohort, 83% provide training to help their employees spot warning signs of threatening behavior. The same was true for only 62% of less safe workplaces.

Training is particularly vital for managers and supervisors. Holding half- or full-day training sessions that include case studies, multiple threat scenarios and role-playing can be particularly effective in preparing your organization for the worst.

When it comes to training managers and employees on how they can help keep the workplace safe from violence, there are many important topics to cover. Below are just a few:

HR can’t be everywhere all the time, so it is helpful if managers and employees can spot the warning signs of workplace threats. There is a wide variety of signs that can warn of a workplace threat, including hostility toward co-workers or the company, angry outbursts, threatening social media posts, problems with authority and more.
 
According to the HR.com survey, since supervisors and co-workers often know an employee with risk factors far better than their HR generalist, discreetly seeking insight regarding life and personality changes or noteworthy recent events, comments in person or on a blog or social networking site and other actions can help the HR leader be more informed about potential remedies. If HR can create a level of basic awareness about possible warning signs, it will probably have a better chance of learning about issues before they escalate into serious problems.

Over 80% of organizations encourage employees to report signs of threatening behavior and incidents of violence, so ensuring employees understand the reporting framework is crucial to keeping the workplace safe.
 
The vast majority of participants in the HR.com survey say employees are encouraged to report warning signs of a workplace threat to their immediate manager (91%), followed by HR itself (83%). Who is alerted will depend, of course, on the nature of the threat. In some cases, employees will go to managers who then, in turn, contact HR. In other cases, the manager may be the source of the threat, in which case employees would likely go directly to HR. The important thing is for HR to ensure employees know whom to contact for different types of threats.
 
Dr. Barton, also encourages the parties behind the initial reports to follow up and ensure that the correct departments follow through on those reports.

HR professionals may wish to coach managers on how to handle separations in order to minimize risk. Covering empathetic communication techniques – including which words to use – can be a good place to start.
 
“We can soften our words,” Barton says. For example, instead of ‘termination’ use ‘separation.’ “When former employees have to take home bad news to their family, they would use the word ‘termination,’ as if it was something they could not come back from.”
 
Barton also reminds employers that no matter the circumstance, it’s important to treat former employees with the same respect you did when they started the onboarding process. Avoid being clinical, and practice ways to deliver upsetting news empathetically. Softening upsetting language and respecting employees minimizes the likelihood of disgruntlement.

Should a violent scenario play out in the workplace, employees should understand how to react in a way that preserves their own safety and the safety of others.
 
In addition to training employees on how to react during a crisis, it’s important that training covers a wide variety of threats. Particularly in the U.S., when people mention workplace threats the image of an active shooter often comes to mind. HR should be thoughtful in training employees on how to react to many different threatening scenarios, including more common ones such as harassment and bullying.

Despite the fact that most organizations rely on their employees to spot problems and help prevent workplace violence, not all employers offer training to their employees. According to the HR.com survey, just a little over half (56%) of mid-sized organizations train employees and/or managers to spot warnings signs of threatening behavior. The most commonly given reasons given for not training the workforce about the warning signs of threats were cost and time.

These responses raise the questions, “Just how expensive or time-consuming is such training?” Some respondents and their organizations may be overestimating the time and cost associated with such training.

However, training employees to be alert for warning signs might not need be a big project. It’s more a matter of encouraging them to act on something they already know or suspect could be a problem. A person who is obsessed with a recent mass shooting and discusses this to the distress of others may need a discussion regarding the anxiety they are raising.  A person who overtly mentions that regardless of company policy they keep a weapon in their trunk poses a far more serious, necessary evaluation and response by the employer.

Employees tend to be the first line of defense and your greatest asset in detecting threats. Employers can empower them to fulfil this role via some simple training and guidelines on what to look for and how to report any concerns.

A learning management system (LMS) can help make sure everyone understands how to help prevent workplace violence. Paycom’s LMS, Paycom Learning, comes with a course on workplace violence that empowers your employees to know what to look for – and what to do about it. Paycom Learning also allows you to create your own content, should you wish to add more company-specific workplace safety courses over topics like maintaining the physical security of your business. Managers and employees can train quickly, easily and consistently, no matter their location with the Paycom app.

The course over workplace safety is just one of many courses built into Paycom Learning. Others cover foundational topics, such as preventing discrimination and harassment, lawful termination, cybersecurity and more.