Workplace Violence .ppt presentation with dialogue inserts for a presenter to use.

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

2. 2 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.

3. 3

4. 4 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.

6. 30-40% - victims of occasional bad behavior

7. Between 1 million and 2 million every year

8. 80% - aware of someone being a victim

9. 20% -fearful on a daily basis5

10. 6 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).

12. About 5oo men (10% of all men’s fatalities at work); 3rd highest cause of workplace deaths for men

13. Slightly over 100 women (27% of all women’s fatalities at work); #1 cause of workplace deaths for women7

14. 8 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.

16. Teasing

17. Taunting

18. Violating personal space

19. Harassing comments9

20. 10 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.

21. 11 Emotional/Psychological Violence

22. 12 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.

24. Parking lot

25. Less visible places – stairwells, elevators13

26. 14 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.

28. Managers/supervisors

29. Former employees

30. Strangers

31. Customers/clients15

32. 16 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!!

33. 20 44 3 24 7 17

34. 18 Hey!!!! No looking ahead!!

36. Managers/supervisors

37. Former employees

38. Strangers

39. Customers/clients____ ____ ____ ____ ____ 19

40. 20 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.

42. Managers/supervisors

43. Former employees

44. Strangers

45. Customers/clients____ ____ ____ ____ 3 21

46. 22 Ok, bosses come in at… 7 percent. (So now you can go tell your boss that you feel much safer around him or her!)

48. Managers/supervisors

49. Former employees

50. Strangers

51. Customers/clients____ ____ ____ 7 3

52. 24 Next… are co-workers at 20 percent.

54. Managers/supervisors

55. Former employees

56. Strangers

57. Customers/clients20 ____ ____ 7 3

58. 26 Strangers account for 24 percent, and…

60. Managers/supervisors

61. Former employees

62. Strangers

63. Customers/clients20 ____ 7 3 24

64. 28 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!

66. Managers/supervisors

67. Former employees

68. Strangers

69. Customers/clients20 7 3 24 44

70. 30 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.

71. 31 Something to think about…

72. 32 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.

74. Family

75. Home

76. School

77. Church

80. Aggressive history

81. Lack of positive self-esteem

84. Electronic monitoring – perception of invasion of privacy?

87. Talking of plans to hurt self or others

88. Always blaming someone/something for problems

89. Fascination with weapons and acts of violence

90. Inability to take criticism

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93. 42 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.

95. Working nights/evenings

96. Poor lighting outside

97. High crime area

98. No controlled access to work site

99. Working with people with history of violence

100. Access to potential weapons

101. LACK OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROCEDURES

102. Working with cash or drugs

103. Lack of escape route

104. High stress environment

107. Up to date policies and procedures

108. Emergency response procedures

109. After hours security

110. Training and education for all staff

113. Seek to understand; ask questions

114. Show empathy and interest; encourage discussion

115. Stand at right angles

116. Ask for small favors

117. Use delaying tactics

118. Point out choices

119. Accept criticism positively

120. Try to keep your escape route open

121. Have third person present, if possible

124. Don’t reject demands at beginning

125. Don’t make light of situation

126. Don’t lie or make false promises

127. Don’t use complicated language

128. Don’t disagree

129. Don’t show anger or fear

130. Don’t patronize the person

131. Don’t “get in their space”

132. Don’t make sudden movements, threats, or dares

133. Don’t put them down

134. Don’t criticize

136. 51 Workplace violence… Nip it!! Nip it in the bud!!!

137. 52 Developed by: Lee Lundberg, PHR Human Resource Management Services Office of Management and Budget State of North Dakota