The material in today’s Advisor is adapted from BLR’s PowerPoint® training presentation Preventing Workplace Violence: What Employees Need to Know.
The target audience for this exercise is all employees. The exercise objective is to identify perpetrators, effects, costs, and causes of workplace violence. The instructions for this exercise are to have trainees complete the work sheet below.
1. Identify two possible perpetrators of workplace violence.
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2. Name a possible effect of workplace violence.
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3. Identify two violent acts that could occur in the workplace.
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4. List three causes of workplace violence.
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Confused about guns-at-work laws? Looking for training on this critical issue? Look no further than BLR’s December 17 webinar “Guns-at-Work Laws: A Legal Obligation and Liability Primer for Employers.” Find out more here.
Guidance
Use the suggested answers below to discuss trainees’ answers as a group and answer any questions.
1. Possible perpetrators of workplace violence include:
- Coworkers and former employees
- People to whom an organization provides services, such as customers, patients, or inmates
- Others who have a connection to an organization, such as vendors, delivery people, friends and family of employees, or ex-partners
- Criminals who have no connection to the workplace, such as thieves, muggers, or rapists
- Terrorists, who may or may not have a connection to the workplace
2. Possible effects of workplace violence include:
- Trauma
- Fear
- Stress
3. Violent acts that could occur in the workplace include:
- Rape and sexual assault
- Robbery
- Assaults, with and without weapons
Remind trainees that violent incidents often result in injuries and may result in fatalities. Workplace violence is, in fact, the fourth leading cause of work-related fatalities.
4. Causes of workplace violence include:
- Layoff
- Termination
- Bad behavior report
- Poor performance review
- Conflict with coworker
- Perceived unfairness
- Domestic violence
- Disputes with ex’s
- Substance abuse
- Emotional problems
- Financial difficulties
- Disputes with customers
- Robberies
- Random acts
Are news headlines making you nervous about the potential for gun violence in your workplace? Get valuable information to protect your workplace at BLR’s upcoming webinar, “Guns-at-Work Laws: A Legal Obligation and Liability Primer for Employers.” Learn more.
If you’re looking for a more in-depth discussion of violence prevention, in particular relating to guns in the workplace, consider attending BLR’s upcoming webinar all about this subject.
Get Valuable Workplace Violence Prevention Training
Gun-related violence seems to be in headline after headline today—from last year’s tragic events in Newtown, CT, to the recent mass shooting in a Washington, D.C., Navy Yard.
Workplaces are not immune to the dangers of violent assaults. According to the Department of Labor, there were nearly 17,000 cases of nonfatal assaults and violent acts in 2012 that caused employees to miss work. To minimize the risk of such actions, many employers have issued preventive policies that may include a ban on weapons in the workplace.
But what are the legal pitfalls around such actions? There is no current federal law that dictates weapon policy in private workplaces. However, some states have initiated guns-at-work laws, which are designed to protect employees’ Second Amendment rights.
In order to find that balance, it’s crucial for you to understand the current laws regulating guns at work and where gun regulation is heading.
BLR’s upcoming webinar gives you the valuable workplace violence prevention training you need.
“Guns-at-Work Laws:
A Legal Obligation and Liability Primer for Employers,”
Live webinar coming Tuesday, December 17, 2013
1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern / 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Pacific
Participate in this interactive webinar and you’ll learn:
- The details and status of proposed “guns-at-work” legislation around the country
- How guns-at-work laws are written, what they say, and how they apply to your day-to-day operations
- The logistics of guns-at-work laws, including what kinds of notice you must post, what the fees or penalties are if you fail to comply, and exceptions to the rule
- Your rights to restrict guns in your workplace, regardless of an employee’s or customer’s legal right to carry a weapon (concealed or otherwise)
- What happens when there is a gun-related incident in the workplace
- How negligence laws apply to situations involving guns at work and mental trauma from witnessing violent events
- How to protect your workplace from the potential spillover of domestic violence
- A summary of best practices for employers when it comes to managing guns in the workplace
- How to talk to your employees to both reassure people that their rights are respected and that their safety is assured
- Tips for ensuring that terminations don’t turn explosive
- Red flags to watch for that could indicate a possibility of future violence
- The emergency plan to have in place in the event a gun emergency erupts at your organization
In just 90 minutes, learn your legal rights and obligations with respect to guns-at-work laws. Register now for this timely and informative event risk-free.