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Harassment, bullying, mobbing, and allied behaviors, now also considered in workplace violence, can be just as debilitating as physical violence itself, as they create additional pressures and tension in workplaces. Women account 61 percent of the victims of workplace violence, and the number is increasing.
How to Prevent Workplace Violence
Taking steps in preventing workplace violence should be plotted based on existing conditions, working environment, corporate culture, number of employees, your job, and many other factors. Doing so will ensure the efficient implementation of violence-preventive programs in your organization.
- The Workplace Culture
Companies that place the welfare of workers ahead of even their customers have happier employees that value their jobs and safety measures against workplace violence. This emphasizes on communication between management and worker, continuous training, and team work. Make it a habit to perform a manage-worker consultation with regards to making decisions in the workplace, such as making settlements on grievances through negotiation and arbitration between labor-management committees.
If you have a management that employees can trust would listen, takes complaints seriously, and negotiates in good faith, then workers are less likely to exhibit violence in response to workplace stressors and tensions. Workers who are generally satisfied with their jobs, company culture, and working environments are more productive and efficient in their positions compared with those with hanging disappointments or grievances.
- Training
Train managers to seriously address worker complaints, acknowledge feelings, even when workers may be mistaken with how they perceive situations in the workplace. The best training for managers is to inform workers of new policies and how these relate to the different positions in the company. Such makes it less likely for workers to have negative reactions about policy changes in your organization, and promotes healthy relationships. Training is best retained when you repeat it regularly.
- Rules
Establishing rules about violence and harassment backs up your company's education on the nature of violence in the workplace. These rules may include such prohibitions as: "No employee shall yell, swear, insult, or harass another member of the company" or define terms such as "physical abuse, including pushing, is also prohibited." Issuing rules sets your company's expectations on the extent of workplace violence and harassment.
- Performance Reviews
Regular appraisals help establish your company's expectations on employee performance. Appraisals built on performance and based on what other employees think of a particular worker is better than single-manager appraisals (currently the norm in most corporate cultures). Performance reviews involving team members are carried out by maintaining the anonymity of reviewers so that no personal grudges build up, only an objective review.
- Layoff and Firing Policy
Layoffs are a situation that comes to companies reeling in crisis, which often rouse violent reactions among those workers facing termination. To prevent workplace violence in reaction to layoffs or firing (as a result of unreliability, incompetence, drunkenness, etc.), your organization has to setup an exit program consisting of counseling and out-placement help. Also don't miss to acknowledge the employee's contributions to the organization and allow each fired worker time to bid farewell to co-workers.
- Pre-Employment Screening
Workplace violence is not only instigated by virulent reactions towards policy changes in your organizations. Many instances of workplace violence stems from psychologically and/or emotionally disturbed individuals who got through undetected in the screening process. To prevent such loopholes in the beginning part of recruitment, a pre-employment interview that delves deep into an applicant's ability to adapt to different workplace tensions and fit into your organization's community should be made.
- Drug-and-Alcohol-Free Workplace
The widespread use and abuse of drugs and alcohol are matters that often occur outside the control of management. However, even when seemingly unstoppable, your organization should have stringent rules that deal with individuals who come to the workplace intoxicated or who brings, shares, and distributes drugs and alcohol.
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