Prepare your employees for outbursts of workplace hostility

It is no longer sufficient to train employees to reduce workplace injuries caused by hazardous materials or equipment. Employees must be prepared for many other risks. Nearly two million American workers face workplace hostilities each year, according to the Department of Labor. Workplace hostilities include any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation or threatening, disruptive behavior occurring at work. That could be from a disgruntled former employee or customer or some random, external act, such as a robbery.

Employers must provide their staff with the skills and tools to address workplace issues such as personal conflicts, harassment and, in extreme cases, acts of violence. While you cant control everything, there are important steps you can take to create a culture of safety in your organization.

Prudent employers accomplish this by understanding their workplace environment and risk factors, known stressors among staff, the clients served and current safety skills training received. The complex view gained from this perspective simplifies the process of determining the type and level of training needed.

What should you look for?
All companies should have a safety policy in place. Even if you already have one, you should assess it to make sure it follows best practices. That may require specialized safety training that is comprehensive yet nimble enough to adapt to the needs of your organization and industry.

Often overlooked, but essential, is helping staff to understanding the basis for human behaviors, that is, stressors and other circumstances that can lead to unpredictable actions by employees or customers. Such training can encourage preventive, verbal, nonaggressive behavior management.

Stressors can include feelings of powerlessness in daily lives (pending layoffs, deteriorating family matters, monetary concerns). Dwindling personnel resources and increased workloads are also factors. Personal issues such as divorce, family struggles and traumatic situations often find their way into work environments. Many people can cope with these situations. For others, though, circumstances may prove too much.

Training that emphasizes de-escalation is paramount. Work environments where staff attitudes and behaviors directly affect the behaviors of those around them (and vice versa) are called integrated experiences. Once a situation becomes escalated, it is crucial that staff members working with that person remain calm and have a plan. There are specific strategies, situational skills and processes you should learn to increase the probability of positive outcomes.

First, you should understand the basic cycles of hostile behaviors before knowing how to address them. These are anxiety/anger, rage and violence. The strategies offered here, while effective in many cases, do not always guarantee success.

In the cycle of anxiety/anger, calming strategies might include:
Avoid power struggles
Take time to have a short conversation.
Leave the person alone, if necessary.
Stay calm, direct and open.

The cycle of rage may be addressed through these limit-setting strategies. Limits should be:
Clear and simple
Reasonable and attainable
Enforceable; if you cant do it, dont say it

Though infrequent, the cycle of violence is reflected by loss of rational thought leading to physical crisis. As a result, your safety strategy might be:
Evacuate to get out and get help.
Call 911 and provide as much information as possible.
Do not engage someone in this state.

Who should train my staff?
Training offered by reputable, certified organizationsthose with practical, hands-on experience working in volatile situationsbring the best return on your investment. Because human behavior is often complex and unpredictable, your safety training vendor offers greater value if it has the real-world experience and a deeply rooted fluency in the behavioral sciences to back up its programs and curriculum.

As part of their long-term business strategy, effective executives try to invest in the latest technology and offer competitive benefits to attract and retain talent. Workplace safety must be recognized as a necessary long-term investment. It protects your assets, contributes significantly to your corporate wellness initiatives and reflects positively on your brand.

KATRINA EGNER, crisis services manager, and JENNIFFER BROWN, safety and emergency preparedness coordinator, are with Sound Mental Healths Crisis Services Department. They can be reached at 206.302.2328.