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WORKPLACE VIOLENCE CONSULTING AND PLANNING

Workplace Violence Consultant
Our Workplace Violence Consulting Perspective and Approach
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No canned or off-the-shelf Workplace Violence and Domestic Violence or Harassment Program will adequately and properly address your very unique and particular risks, threats, culture, values, industry, history, functions and budgets.  You do not have a true Workplace Violence Program if yours is composed mostly of statements of zero tolerance, banned weapons on site, active shooter plan and/or required reporting of threats or violent acts.  Your people will not report just because there is a workplace violence policy - they must understand why, how, what and when to report.  They must trust you to do the right thing.

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We are often called following a workplace violence-related incident such as a threat, assault or shooting, or when there is a perceived threat, and we advise as to reasonable, prudent and cost effective steps to take that meet your particular needs, values, culture, history, risks, vulnerabilities and budgets.

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Our planning reflects your particular industry and environment.  The workplace violence risks, threats and plan differ greatly in environments such as healthcare, education, manufacturing or office buildings

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There are four essential components of a proper workplace and domestic violence program, and yours should address each, including:

  • Prevention, largely addressed by employee and supervisory training and awareness, physical and procedural security measures, EAP and counseling resources, appropriate workplace violence and related policies and plans, and maintaining a civil and respectful workplace

  • The Mitigation and De-escalation of threatening and otherwise potentially violent behavior, to include training employees in handling confrontational and aggressive behavior and robberies; planning for the safe handling of triggering or precipitating events such as terminations, disciplines, lay-offs, refusals of service, bad news and facility closings; and an early intervention multi-disciplinary Threat Management/Assessment Team and Process to identify, address and mitigate problematic situations

  • Crisis and Duress Response, or safely responding to the actual attack or workplace violence situation including the active shooter.  This includes internal and external communications steps and tools, Incident Command, best response options (i.e. lockdown, evacuation or shelter in place), identifying safe rooms and shelters, security staff roles, law enforcement liaison, etc.

  • Recovery, or reasonably assuring that those affected are cared for, recurrence will not happen and reputation is protected  

Our Workplace Violence Consulting Services
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  • Development or Review of Workplace Violence and Domestic Terrorism Plans, Policies and Procedures. 

  • Development of Domestic Violence Prevention and Response Plans and Programs

  • Needs Assessments and/or Workplace Violence and/or Security Management Assessments to determine your true risks and vulnerabilities and to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of your present physical and procedural countermeasures and your Workplace Violence Prevention and Response and/or Security Programs.  For more on Assessments and Surveys, please see our "Assessments" page.

  • Workplace and Domestic Violence and Terrorism Prevention and Response Training of employees and supervisors/managers on Workplace Violence Prevention and Response.

  • Support in planning for and managing potentially problematic or disruptive workplace violence situations (triggering or precipitating events) such as lay-offs, terminations, disciplines, expulsions, downsizing, strikes, demonstrations, facility closings, acquisitions/mergers, refusals of service or drugs, providing of bad news, etc.

  • Development of a workplace violence Response, Critical Incident, and Threat or Incident Management Process to assure proper and qualified  teams/responders, protocols, team-based risk assessment programs, investigations, tracking, remediation options, emergency notification communications, law enforcement liaison, family and community communications and support, media relations, etc.

  • Development of multi-disciplinary Workplace Violence Threat Assessment Teams (TAT) or Threat Management Teams (TMT) and processes

  • Providing Support Following a Workplace Violence Incident such as an active shooter. or assault  Such an incident can have a detrimental, even devastating, long-term effect on morale, reputation and productivity.  We can assist in planning to prevent recurrence, eliciting feedback from employees, training, conducting employee town hall meetings, root cause analyses, and other appropriate steps to reflect the company's or organization's concern for its people and their welfare.

  • Incorporating Safety and Security into Disciplinary, Lay-off, Downsizing, Closing, Merger and Termination Procedures 

  • Litigation and Workplace Violence Expert Witness Support in lawsuits involving workplace violence and in mitigating such lawsuits

  • Counter-terrorism planning

 

2022 Joint Commission Workplace Violence Standard

The Joint Commission’s has a new Workplace Violence Standard for 2022 for Healthcare Facilities.  Whether you fall under the Joint Commission or not, such a standard will be an industry standard.  Required elements include:

 

  • An Annual Worksite Analysis of the Workplace Violence Program including an investigation of past incidents and an analysis of how the WPV policies and procedures, training, education and environmental design reflect best practices and conform to relevant rules and regulations

  • A process is established for continually monitoring, internally reporting and investigating related incidents, injuries and failures

  • The hospital provides related training, education and resources.  This should include front-line staff including screeners, receptionists and patient access.

  • Leaders create and maintain a culture of safety and quality throughout the hospital.  Especially in these days of heightened aggressive, confrontational and threatening behavior, setting a respectful, civil and safe culture is particularly important.

 

This is an opportunity to, above checking a box, create or refine a workplace violence program that truly prevents and mitigates harm to your staff and patients.  While the healthcare industry faces inherent risks in working daily with the public, much can be done to reduce the risks.  Assaultive behavior against staff, amplified by the pandemic, has been increasing across the country. 

 

I can assist.  My role is to offer best practices that have worked elsewhere, to provide an objective outside perspective and to bring my extensive experience and lessons learned from incidents of violence.  I have been conducting more “targeted” assessments of workplace violence programs and/or of higher risk areas such as Emergency and Behavioral Health.

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