In yesterday’s Advisor, we shared OSHA’s take on workplace violence. Today, tips on spotting potentially violent situations from BLR®‘s 10-Minute HR Trainer.
Be Alert to Work Situations that Could Potentially Lead to Violence
People may be more likely to go over the edge into violent behavior at work when they:
- Are fired or laid off or fear they may be
- Receive a warning about their performance or behavior
- Believe they’ve been treated unfairly, disrespectfully, or with hostility
- Fail to receive a promotion or raise they expected or counted on
- Have a hostile relationship with another employee
Be Alert to Warnings of Potential Violence in Individual Behavior
The more of the following signs a person displays, the greater the risk of violence:
- Makes threats of violence, getting back at someone, etc.
- Intimidates others
- Gets very angry easily and often
- Uses abusive language
- Lets people know he or she owns weapons and can use them
- Brings weapons to work
- Likes to talk about violent crime
- Believes others are out to get him or her
- Blames problems on others
- Holds grudges
- Is rigid and inflexible
- Has a drug or alcohol abuse problem
- Suffers from extreme stress
- Demonstrates mood swings
- Has a history of violence
Yes, you do have the budget and time to train managers and supervisors with BLR’s® 10-Minute HR Trainer. Try it at no cost or risk. Read more.
Take Action to Spot and Reduce Workplace Violence Potential
- Follow and enforce workplace security rules (Don’t leave doors open, admit strangers, etc.)
- Report any direct threats of violence or retaliation
- Be alert for signals that a potentially violent person’s problems are getting worse
- Don’t ignore troubling employee behavior, statements, or attitudes. Report your concerns in confidence through proper channels
- Be aware of workers’ personal situations that could bring violence to work (concerns of abused spouses, people getting divorced, etc.)
- Have another person present when you have to fire or give a warning to an employee if you’re concerned about possible violence
- Get keys, passes, ID numbers, and other entry materials from discharged employees before they leave
- Change door codes if employees fail to turn over entry materials
Workplace violence is a very real concern. However, by training your employees to follow security procedures and stay alert to behavioral warning signs, you can help prevent violence
Violence prevention training. One of, what, a couple dozen things your people need training on now? Training is critical, but it’s also demanding. To train effectively, you need a program that’s easy for you to deliver and that requires little time from busy schedules. Also, if you’re like most companies in these tight budget days, you need a program that’s reasonable in cost.
We asked our editors what they recommend for training supervisors in a minimum amount of time with maximum effect. They came back with BLR’s unique 10-Minute HR Trainer.
Train your line managers with BLR’s 10-Minute HR Trainer. There won’t be time for classroom boredom. Try it for free.
As its name implies, this product trains managers and supervisors in critical HR skills in as little as 10 minutes for each topic. 10-Minute HR Trainer offers these features:
Trains in 50 key HR topics under all major employment laws, including manager and supervisor responsibilities, and how to legally carry out managerial actions from hiring to termination. (See a complete list of topics below.)
Uses the same teaching sequence master teachers use. Every training unit includes an overview, bullet points on key lessons, a quiz, and a handout to reinforce the lesson later.
Completely prewritten and self-contained. Each unit comes as a set of reproducible documents. Just make copies or turn them into overheads, and you’re done. (Take a look at a sample lesson below.)
Updated continually. As laws change, your training needs do as well. 10-Minute HR Trainer provides new lessons and updated information every 90 days, along with a monthly Training Forum newsletter, for as long as you are in the program.
Works fast. Each session is so focused that there’s not a second’s waste of time. Your managers are in and out almost before they can look at the clock, yet they remember small details even months later.
Evaluate It at No Cost for 30 Days
We’ve arranged to make 10-Minute HR Trainer available to our readers for a 30-day, in-office, no-cost trial. Review it at your own pace and try some lessons with your colleagues. If it’s not for you, return it at our expense. Click here and we’ll set you up with 10-Minute HR Trainer.
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