Workplace Violence Prevention

Welcome to the Workplace Violence Prevention web-based training.  By the end of this course, you should be able to:  Understand what constitutes workplace violence; Identify the 4 categories of workplace violence; Recognize common warning signs of potential workplace violence; and Practice contributing to a safer workplace.  Commonwealth policy defines workplace violence as violence that occurs at or is connected to the workplace, including any location if the violence has resulted from an act or a decision made during the course of conducting commonwealth business.  Examples of workplace violence include verbal and written threats, intimidation, stalking, harassment, domestic violence, robbery or burglary, theft of personal or commonwealth property, destruction of commonwealth property, physical assault, bomb threats, rape, and murder.  For example, the following email from a co-worker would be considered workplace violence due to its threatening nature:  "I AM SICK OF YOU AND YOUR ATTITUDE.  IF YOU EVER PULL SOMETHING LIKE THAT AGAIN, YOU'LL BE ON CRUTCHES.  UNDERSTOOD???”  The most frequent types of workplace violence incidents that occur in the commonwealth are harassment, threats, and physical assaults.  Workplace violence most frequently occurs in the actual workplace, which is the location where employees perform their job duties.  That location need not be a permanent location, physical building, or commonwealth-owned property.  Examples of workplaces include an office, a liquor store, a forest or park, a highway, a vehicle, or a business owned by a member of the public.  Workplace violence is not limited to violence that has occurred in the workplace.  Violence that results from an act or a decision made during the course of conducting commonwealth business is workplace violence, without regard to when or where the violence occurs.  Workplace violence typically falls into four categories, based on the perpetrator.  It may take place between employees, clients/customers, personal acquaintances/partners, which is considered domestic violence, or strangers.  Let's review these four categories to determine how each impacts us here at the Commonwealth.  The first category of workplace violence occurs between employees.  The following is an example of Employee Violence.  This statement was received by a supervisor:  This morning, Maria assigned John Doe the task of opening the mail.  After Maria went back into her office, John told Mark that he thought he shouldn’t have to do it all by himself.  He then yelled at Mark and told him to get the hell away from him.  John said he was going to take his break whether Mark liked it or not, and on his way out he slammed the door so hard that the glass almost broke.  When John got back from break, his mood wasn’t any better.  He was throwing papers around and slamming things down on the front desk.  He was also saying “I could just kill someone around here” to himself, loud enough that everyone could hear him.  John acts like this all the time.  It’s causing Mark a lot of stress and makes him afraid to come to work.  In a situation of employee violence, the perpetrator is a current or former employee.  The second category of workplace violence occurs between employees and clients/customers.  The following is an example of Client/Customer Violence:  Employee: "Hello, this is the regional office.  How can I help you?"

Client: "My benefits were terminated!  What are you people trying to do, starve me?"

Employee:  "Could you-"

Client: "Listen, I'll make this real simple.  Either I get my benefits back, or you're going to have your tires slashed.  Get it?”

The third category of workplace violence occurs between employees and personal acquaintances/partners.  The following is an example of Personal Acquaintance/Partner Violence.  A girlfriend visits her boyfriend (who is a State employee), and they engage in the following conversation outside of his workplace:

Boyfriend: "Can't we talk about this some other time?  I have to get to work."

Girlfriend: "NO!  We're going to talk about it NOW!"

Boyfriend: "Listen, I said I was sorry."

Girlfriend: "YOU'RE NOT SORRY ENOUGH!"

Boyfriend: "Please…stop yelling.  You're making a scene out here, and I still have to get to work."

Girlfriend: "If you're so concerned about getting to work, JUST GO!"

Boyfriend: "Okay, just don't follow me in to work this time."

Girlfriend: "YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!  I'LL SHOW UP WHEREVER I WANT, WHENEVER I WANT!!”

Later that day, the employee’s girlfriend came to his building.  She walked past the receptionist without stopping and went into the employee’s cubicle.  She began to yell at the employee again, and then began to pick things up from his desk and throw them at him.  The receptionist, upon hearing the commotion, called 911.  The perpetrator of this type of violence can be an employee's family member, spouse, significant other or partner.  This type of violence is also called domestic violence and defined by the management directive as violence that occurs between individuals who have or had a significant personal relationship.  Domestic violence is not just a personal, non-work related event.  Individuals who are victims of domestic violence frequently have that violence follow them into work.  Employees who are victims of domestic violence who have a Protection from Abuse, PFA order, are strongly encouraged (but not required) to notify their supervisor or human resources office, so that the workplace can take steps to increase their safety and the safety of their co-workers.  The fourth category of workplace violence occurs between employees and strangers.  The following is an example of Stranger Violence.  Let’s review this incident report:  On Friday, an individual wearing a baseball cap, dark jeans and a brown windbreaker entered the reception area around lunchtime.  He looked around and then went to stand at the bulletin board, where it appeared that he was reading the posted announcements and brochures.  Mary Smith, an employee, came out of the back office and walked through the reception area on her way out of the building to go to lunch.  The stranger grabbed Mary’s purse and then ran from the reception area and out of the building.  The local police were called.  The commonwealth’s policy is contained in Management Directive 205.33.  Key points in the policy include:  Workplace violence by or against commonwealth employees will not be tolerated.  The commonwealth has a zero tolerance policy for workplace violence.  “Zero tolerance” means that all reported incidents of workplace violence will be investigated and appropriate action will be taken when it is determined that workplace violence has occurred; All managers, supervisors, and employees must be made aware of the commonwealth's policy; Engaging in Workplace Violence may lead to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.  Employees may also be subject to criminal prosecution.  Management Directive 205.33 also identifies the following responsibilities for employees:  Read and be familiar with the commonwealth and your agency’s workplace violence policies; Immediately report all incidents of workplace violence to your supervisor.  So, the Commonwealth has a policy in place to address workplace violence.  But, how does this impact YOU?  You can contribute to your own safety and the safety of coworkers by doing the following four things:  Be familiar with the commonwealth and your agency’s policies on workplace violence prevention; Keep in mind some of the common warning signs before an incident of workplace violence occurs; Report any behaviors that concern you; Follow your agency’s procedures, policies and guidelines on workplace violence prevention.  The following are some warning signs that you might notice or hear before an incident of workplace violence occurs:  Overreacting; Offensive or profane language; Rapid speech; Continual blame or excuses; Being overly defensive when criticized; Or repeated unusual movements such as pounding, banging or slamming.  Please note that while these behavioral signs are important to remember, they don't necessarily mean that someone experiencing them will commit workplace violence.  The commonwealth is committed to promoting a workplace that is free of violence, and to investigate all reports of alleged workplace violence.  It’s important that you alert your supervisor or agency workplace violence coordinator when you observe or hear something that you believe is workplace violence, or that you believe may be a warning sign.  Don’t assume that someone else has reported the workplace violence incident or potential warning sign.  While we are all responsible for making our workplaces as safe as possible, sometimes workplace violence occurs despite our best efforts.  Let's take a few minutes to talk about what you can expect after a workplace violence event has occurred.  After a workplace violence event, employees may experience many different emotions.  While experiencing a workplace violence incident can be traumatic, it's important to remember that the Commonwealth has services in place that help employees through these situations.  We will review two of these services.  The first, Critical Incident Stress Debriefing, C.I.S.D., helps employees on an organizational level.  The second, the State Employee Assistance Program, S.E.A.P., also known as SEAP, gives individual assistance.  The CISD facilitates a group discussion of the workplace violence event that helps all employees make some sense of a shared, traumatic experience.  It is a discussion led by a trauma professional from SEAP that provides education, validation, reassurance, and support.  The goal of CISD is to facilitate recovery from traumatic stress and reduce or prevent mental health concerns.  Attendance is voluntary.  Requests for CISD must be made by the agency's SEAP coordinator.  SEAP provides individual, confidential assistance at any time of the day or night, to individuals dealing with the emotional impact of a workplace violence incident.  SEAP is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help employees and their families deal with the emotional impact of a workplace violence event.  Qualified counselors are available for immediate assistance via SEAP's toll-free number at 800.692.7459.  Follow-up services are provided locally.  In summary, let’s review how you can contribute to a safer workplace:  Read and be familiar with commonwealth and agency policy; Immediately report all incidents of workplace violence to your supervisor or agency workplace violence coordinator; Follow your agency’s procedures, policies and guidelines.  For more information regarding your agencies workplace violence policy and agency policies, procedures and guidelines, please speak with your supervisor or Human Resource Office.  Thank you!  You have now completed the Workplace Violence Prevention course.  This version of the course is intended for individuals who require an accommodation for a disability.  Once you have fully reviewed the information in this training, contact your Human Resources Office to request credit for completing this course.  You will not receive credit for completing this course until you do so.