What Do You Say When Your CEO Asks You Tough Questions About the Workplace Violence Prevention Program?

From My Blog: Workplace Violence Prevention can enjoy success when the effort is not perceived as an independent initiative left to subordinate leaders to administer and develop training objectives. Its success emanates from a senior management organizational commitment and investment wherein the C-Suite having understanding can support and influence decisions around creating & maintaining safe work environments.

Senior management leadership supporting workplace violence prevention as a program with employee involvement sets the example of commitment from the top down. For example, companies that engage their leaders to anticipate and address workplace violence through a proactive workplace culture of prevention gives evidence of alignment with the OSHA’s principle of workplace violence prevention. When OSHA conducts enforcement inspections and juries hear civil liability allegations of negligence having and organizational commitment and investment can reflect favorably as honorable intentions.

Leadership involvement is about “Creating a Culture of Safety and Security through strategy, process, and plans, accountability, responsibility, and recognition of consequences impacting people safety through worksite specific assessments and their commitment.  Prevention strategy that focuses on swift resolution through five collaborative stages: (1) causation, (2) intervention, (3) risk management, (4) risk mitigation and (5) training give the initiative credibility.  Training that is leader led reinforces the organizational commitment and appears in alignment with OSHA regulations and workplace violence prevention standards sends a positive message.

Violence prevention effectiveness grows from within organizations by leaders who recognize their responsibilities, enforce standards, set positive examples and positive leadership. It is not mandated, it is exemplified through policies, plans, and outcomes by engaged leadership. It is the workforce seeing the organization “walk the walk and talk the talk.” People caring about people and leaders who take time to know their people, taking their safety and security seriously.

Because workplace violence is a human reaction to perception of grievance, frustration, and hopelessness, retaliation becomes the response. Retaliation though mostly associated with the armed intruder is a frequent behavior manifested in various deviant forms of behavior. Leaders who enjoy the proper mindset take a proactive approach.

Leaders can benefit by understanding that security technology alone cannot prevent the active shooter from exacting their vengeance but can give employees critical time to apply risk mitigation immediate protective measures. Leaders that know their employees might be in a better position to recognize the disgruntled employee early on take swift intervention/interdiction steps to avert escalation. Several Client supervisors recently shared that their greatest reward comes when employees take them into their confidence about different experiences and situations in their personal lives.

Compassionate leaders typically take into consideration such factors in recognizing negative workplace practices. When trained to recognize the warning signs and contributing factors leaders begin to understand that the disgruntled employee transitions to mental thoughts of rationalization and justification to active shooter thoughts when left alone with their thoughts of justification and rationalization.

When training is practical, reflective of the employee’s work and work environment, earning employee trust and credibility is less difficult. It supports the workplace violence prevention policy and other workplace security plans and measures. Leaders that attend scheduled workplace violence prevention training and add to the training objective content show their employees that they care. They understand their roles must be the center of influence in supporting the company’s culture of safety and security.

The new employee workplace violence prevention orientation sets standards and expectations. Avoid the perception of fluff, educate and inform the employee on duties and responsibilities of reporting. In short be clear of mutual expectations. Leaders must protect against training being perceived as routine. Leader training must address contributing factors of workplace violence, cause and effect, responsibilities, impact and consequences, prevention and managing risks as well as active shooter organizational responsibilities.

Processes not a frequent inclusion in workplace violence prevention leadership training must be the gateway and the roadmap to prevent violence response. Process is a vital part of an organizational commitment that shows people how to maximize their collaborative value. Prevention tied to the active shooter phases in addressing transitional concerns from disgruntled to active shooter provides the leaders and workforce specific examples of how intervention can take place through coordination of effort and resources.

Leaders that know that Workplace Violence Prevention starts and cycles through processes gives prevention authority. It should not just be a document but an ongoing process involving multiple interventions. Once a leader becomes aware of a potential security risk immediate action must be authorized and allowed to be taken.

In conclusion – Leaders must Avoid assumptions. Avoid the inconvenience of taking action. Avoid the decision to take the easy road by being expedient rather than thoughtful and professional.

About the Author:

Felix Nater, former United States Postal Inspector is a Certified Security Consultant as awarded by the IAPSC (International Association of Professional Security Consultants) specializes in workplace violence prevention. He is the president and owner of Nater Associates Ltd a security management consultant specializing in helping CEOs in of midsize and small manufacturing, processing, production, and utility organizations implement and manage workplace security strategy with a focus on workplace violence prevention. He explains how to improve their current posture, develop their intent or go in a different direction. In the end, Felix works with organizations to help them achieve desired results and supports them along the way. Interested? Call: 704-784-0260. Visit www.naterassociates.com