Keep anger in check – Company actions can help prevent workplace violence

from Laura Raines, ajcjobs

Six employees of the Von Maur department store in Omaha, Neb., probably expected some disgruntled as well as happy holiday shoppers as they headed to work on Dec. 6. They didn’t expect a complete stranger with a semi-automatic rifle to end their lives that day.

“People read about violence in the news and rarely think about it happening at work. What they forget is that most of us spend most of our waking time at work,” said Nancy Gup, director of client and consulting services at Nancy Gup & Associates Inc., an Atlanta provider of employee assistance and behavioral health services.

“Violence can happen anywhere and does happen at work. OSHA [The Occupational Safety and Health Administration] reports that 2 million American workers are victims of workplace violence each year,” she said. “I don’t know if the numbers are up, but I do know that it’s becoming more of a concern of employers. Our calls from companies have increased.”

Only the most sensational incidents make the newspapers, but no company is immune to anger and violence.

“We see our fair share of workplace anger,” said Pat Barnard, senior vice president of Mirant, an independent power company. “We recently had an employee have an altercation with an employee from another company. They got into a fistfight over who was going to back out of their parking space first.”

The company responded with appropriate disciplinary action, because Mirant has a no-violence policy, which includes domestic violence.

“We train our managers on how to recognize the potential signs of anger and violence, how to react to it, and what precautions they should put in place to prevent it. If we know of adversarial conditions, [the human resources department] alerts security and other appropriate people,” Barnard said. “We encourage employees to make use of our employee assistance program (EAP) to deal with issues, and, if need be, we can mandate that they go.

“Having a policy in place makes it easier for everyone. We tell managers and employees that there are outlets available and places to go for help.

“Prevention is the best tool.”

Every manager at Mirant gets an annual refresher course on the no-violence policy and how to help protect employees.

“We’re especially cognizant of anger issues around the holidays, because those are stressful times,” Barnard said.

Anger-management training can help employees learn how to recognize warning signs, such as changes in work or social patterns, mood changes or inappropriate outbursts toward others. It can help people learn to communicate better.

Ironically, hospitals — places known for healing — have higher incidences of violence than most workplaces, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Health care employees stand a greater risk of assault from patients or their families, ranging from minor physical injuries to physical disability, psychological trauma and even death from a weapon. Workers at most hospitals are taught prevention strategies, including how to avoid and defuse violent situations.

“Some of the root causes of anger and violence are stress, increased anxiety, and feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, and there’s a lot of hopelessness, helplessness and anxiety in hospital settings,” Gup said.

Researchers also have found greater risk of violence associated with substance abuse and among those who work with the public, with money, by themselves, in high-crime areas, or at night or early in the morning.

Because most companies, including Mirant, don’t want to add trained psychologists and other professionals outside their core business to the payroll, they contract for services with those professionals when employees need counseling or resources to help them handle marital problems, alcohol and substance abuse, tax or legal issues, or care for aging parents.

“Most large companies supply employee assistance benefits of some kind and should promote them,” Barnard said. “We’re not seeing a rise in the incidence of workplace anger, but we are seeing more usage of our EAP services, and that’s good. That’s where you want employees to go when they need help.”

Nancy Gup & Associates provides two ways to help companies deal with violence in the workplace.

“We provide group training for the managers and supervisors of companies, and we also do individual and confidential counseling of employees,” Gup said.

The goal is getting companies to implement zero-tolerance policies on violence and to make sure employees know about them.

“Some companies don’t go for help until an incident happens, but a company should be proactive, because prevention can go a long way toward keeping violence down,” Gup said. “The message should come from the top person down, and everyone should know what to do if they experience or witness an incident of workplace violence, how to report it and what happens when they do. They should know that an investigation will take place and that appropriate disciplinary action will be taken.”

Disciplinary actions can include firing and criminal prosecution if laws have been broken.

Some companies include violence policies in their employee handbooks and provide regular training.

UPS hangs posters of its UPS Crisis Management and Workplace Violence Prevention Policy in all of its facilities. The company’s zero-tolerance policy “prohibits violence related to conduct, including but not limited to physical assaults, fighting, threatening comments, intimidation and the intentional destruction of any company property, employee property or merchandise.”

It also bans the possession and/or use of weapons by any employee on UPS property. All employees are instructed to report violence or threats of violence to their supervisors or one of four management representatives, whose phone numbers are listed on the posters. There’s also a 24-hour help line.

The Occupational Safety and Health Act’s General Duty Clause requires employers to provide a safe and healthful workplace for all workers. OSHA is a good resource for learning how to write a policy and establish procedures.

“It’s so important to have a policy and implement the procedures. Companies that haven’t taken necessary steps to ensure the safety of their employees can be held liable,” Gup said.

“You want to avoid a shooting at all costs, but all anger and violence disrupt the day-to-day flow of business and can become toxic to the environment,” Barnard said. “If [conflicts go] unchecked, employees can choose sides, and then the issue only escalates.”

Workplace violence affects productivity, absenteeism and health care costs.

“The company has to make expenditures to conduct an investigation and deal with the trauma, and it certainly decreases employee morale and affects the company culture,” Gup said.