Violence prevention techniques for a stressful workplace

by Vicki Sanderford-O'Connor

Mention the words "workplace violence" and horrific images come to mind. People immediately think of shootings like the one at a mail processing facility in Southern California where Bruce Clark, a 22-year U.S. Postal Service veteran, shot and killed his supervisor. Or they envision incidents like the one at a manufacturing plant in North Carolina where James Davis killed and injured four people.

While such portrayals of workplace violence dominate the media, they actually account for a small percentage of occupational violent acts.

Emotional harassment, physical aggression, sabotage, vandalism and theft are the more common violent acts that, combined with incidents of workplace homicide, cost companies approximately $35.4 billion in legal expenses, lost profits and negative publicity annually.

Who is to blame for such violent acts? The offender? The victims? The company? Society? Perhaps we need to re-examine our perception of crime and punishment to get to the root of the problem.

In the United States, we operate under the "myth of redemptive violence," meaning that we justify any violent act that punishes or controls violence itself. This approach is not only ineffective, but it also triggers more violence. If we want to reduce or even eliminate workplace violence, we need to take proactive steps that do more than simply punish the violent offender. We need to adjust the very culture in which we work so that we no longer have a breeding ground for violence.

Regardless of your industry, warding off the precursors of workplace violence not only makes sound business sense, but it also positions your company on the cutting edge of employee security and safety issues. Use the following guidelines to begin a workplace violence prevention initiative in your own organization.

Embrace new ways of managing 
conflict and disciplining employees
Shame and degradation are at the root of all violent acts.

Unfortunately, the majority of companies inadvertently promote such emotions, which in turn can lead to violence, in the very disciplinary and conflict resolution tactics they employ. Berating employees for not meeting deadlines or sales goals, threatening job loss in response to a behavioral problem and ignoring work well done are all ways that managers and business owners cause their employees to feel undervalued and humiliated.

Rather than instill negative emotions in response to a problem, those in leadership positions need to set a new model for conflict resolution and discipline. 

For example, if you encounter an aggressive employee who routinely threatens co-workers, steals supplies or even shows signs of physical violence, first talk with the person privately in an attempt to uncover the root of the violent behavior. Perhaps the person is having marital problems at home and is taking those emotions out on co-workers. Or maybe the person does not have the proper skills and training to competently perform his or her work duties and is using aggressive behavior to mask the embarrassment. 

The key is to show compassion and understanding so people will be willing to open up and release their pent up emotions.

Create an environment for honest communication
Each company has a unique corporate culture. And just like societal cultures, corporate cultures instill certain values and goals into hose people immersed in it. 

Those corporate cultures that prohibit honest communication between departments and/or employees or that reward people for going with the flow and not making waves breed an environment of fear, isolation and mistrust. As a result, employees feel as though they must always keep their guard up and never reveal their true opinions. This is when workplace violence dominates.

Employees need to feel and believe that they can openly communicate dissatisfaction, frustration and opposing opinions to their supervisors and co-workers. They need to know that supervisors will respectfully listen to their concerns and will give each person's suggestions serious consideration. 

This does not mean that employers must act on every suggestion employees make, but it does require management to acknowledge each person's concerns and reveal why the company won't remedy certain situations. 

This is the basis of creating a company culture of Discerning Followership, which means that employees have the ability to perceive or recognize that something is different from the norm, can measure that difference against the yardstick of right values and principles, and then can consciously make a decision whether to follow or resist. 

Only when employees feel that they have choices and are being treated fairly and with dignity will they be less prone to violent outbursts in order to make their point.

Focus on the company's people, not on the company itself
Many company leaders are so concerned with the bottom line that they forget it's the people who make the bottom line possible. As a result, whenever a violent act occurs at work, the company's sole focus is on how the event will impact profits and/or productivity. 

When employees experience this sort of response to violence, they feel further victimized and want to take justice into their own hands, which only triggers more violence.

In any workplace violence act, the company is not the victim. The people harmed or the relationship destroyed is the true victim. As such, these true victims need to be the focus of any violence resolution process. 

For example, if an employee is verbally abusive or is threatening co-workers, instead of talking to the person about how such behavior inhibits productivity and causes profits to drop, explain to the individual how his or her actions are causing hurt feelings, humiliation and fear in certain individuals. 

Bring the ramifications of the person's behavior to as personal a level as possible. Since people identify with other people, and not with company profit and loss statements, they will respond more positively when the discussion has a personal focus and shows the damage in human terms.

Lead by example
Regardless of what the employee manual dictates as protocol, employees will follow the tone and example management sets. Whether it's issues of privacy, communication or workplace violence, your employees will model exactly what you do, not what you say. That's why it's important to respond to challenges and communicate in a way you want your employee to emulate.

If employees witness you berating others or acting aggressively, they'll respond in a similar fashion. Likewise, if they always see the management team talking openly amongst each other and resolving conflicts in a proactive and non-aggressive manner, they'll follow that example as well.

When you demonstrate in your daily actions that any form of workplace violence is unacceptable, your employees will learn non-confrontational forms of conflict resolution.

Shift your company's focus
In today's business economy, only the strongest companies will survive. Give your organization the best chance for success by eliminating those factors that could drain profits and destroy employee relationships. 

When you transform your company's atmosphere from one that breeds violence to one that actually prevents it, you encourage your employees to work together, to seek peaceful solutions to their challenges, while you help them unlock their full potential.

Ignoring workplace violence is the easy response. Confronting the problem and taking steps to rectify it takes courage and strength. Be a courageous leader so you can ensure your company has the strength to prevail.

Vicki Sanderford-O'Connor is a former correctional officer and parole agent for the California Department of Corrections. Vicki has translated the wisdom gleaned from her prison experience into tools for success in the corporate world. She is now the president of ClariQuest Inc. and the author of the book The Power in Compassion: Transforming the Correctional Culture. She can be reached at 915-961-5394 or at vicki@rcip.com.

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