Be Prepared: Workplace Violence is on the Rise

Violence in the workplace has been on the rise in recent years and has become a significant issue in the workforce today. The Society of Human Resource Management reported that half of all human resource professionals said their business experienced at least one incident of workplace violence in 2019. That’s up from 36 percent in 2012.

Often, organizations don’t consider a plan for workplace violence until after an event occurs. According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, NIOSH, over two million employees are victims of workplace violence annually.

Workplace productivity can decrease by 50 percent in the aftermath of a violent event. The effect can linger from six to 18 weeks and cost organizations $130 billion annually. Failure to prepare for workplace violence is more commonly seen as a “hazard” under the General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, leaving companies liable for failing to reduce the risk of workplace violence.

A leader’s reaction to a workplace violence event impacts much more than just themselves. Often, if the leader freezes, the employees will follow.

As a leader, we can work to mitigate the risks of workplace violence. Currently, more than half of U.S. workers agree their company management does not take adequate steps to keep them safe at work, and 55 percent of human resource professionals do not know if their organization has a workplace violence prevention program. Meanwhile, according to a survey completed by Everbridge, two-thirds of organizations named active shooter and workplace violence as a top threat, 79 percent said they are not fully prepared and more than 60 percent do not run readiness drills.

Be Prepared

Organizations needs to develop emergency action plans to prepare for different potential threats. This plan establishes the foundation for how an organization will react to a threat. It is also a proactive step that allows leadership and workgroups to collaborate and provide feedback on areas impacted by an emergency incident.

After an emergency action plan is completed, make sure it is reviewed annually for relevance.

Secondly, leaders must plan and provide multi-faceted training that involves leadership and employees. Training should include presentations, walk-throughs and exercises about workplace violence. To ensure leaders are prepared, complete routine tabletop exercises with a facilitator to build team collaboration. This will establish confidence in employees as they begin to understand how they should react to a workplace violence incident.

Finally, ensure the organization has a continuity plan and disaster recovery plan prepared for unexpected incidents. When developing a business continuity plan, it is important to consider a variety of incidents that could potentially affect the organization and a resolution for each crisis.

A disaster recovery plan is a formal document created by the organization that contains detailed instructions on responding to unplanned events such as natural disasters, workplace violence and other disruptive events.

People Performance Resources has experience in preventing, preparing, mitigating and recovering from workplace violence incidents and providing risk management. We offer various services including risk management, emergency action plans, leadership development, employee response training, disaster recovery plans and business continuity services. For more information, please get in touch with us at info@pprhr.com on how we can help your organization.