Conference Board's tips for employers include conducting risk assessments and providing effective crisis leadership
Organizations can take specific actions to significantly reduce the human, financial and reputational costs of workplace violence and harassment, according to a new report from the Conference Board of Canada.
“The scope of workplace violence has broadened beyond extreme acts of physical violence to include psychologically harmful behaviours,” said Karla Thorpe, associate director of compensation and industrial relations at the Conference Board of Canada.
“Addressing harassment is important for several reasons. Harassment incidents occur more frequently than acts of violence. Harassment often precedes violence, and serves as an early warning that violence can result if workplace issues are not addressed.”
Four provinces — Quebec, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario — now legally distinguish between workplace violence (physical actions) and workplace harassment (psychologically harmful behaviours).
The risk of workplace violence and harassment comes from individuals both within and outside the organization. They include:
• Criminals: Individuals who target and enter workplace to commit a criminal act such as robbery.
• Clients: Those who receive products or services from an organization, such as health care facility or a social services provider.
• Coworkers: Fellow employees or former employees.
• Individuals who have or had a relationship with an employee of the organization: These include a current or former spouse, relative, friend or acquaintance.
Employers can comply with recent legislative requirements and significantly reduce the risks by undertaking six key actions. Managing the Risks of Workplace Violence and Harassment recommends organizations:
• Conduct periodic risk assessments.
• Heed early warning signs of potentially violent individuals and work situations. Management and employees at all levels of an organization must be able to spot the signs of potentially violent individuals and work situations.
• Make targeted use of professional assistance service options, such as employee assistance programs. These specialists identify and manage workplace violence and harassment, provide expert consultation services that identify risks, and suggest elimination or mitigation strategies.
• Have appropriate policies and resources to respond when needed. Workplace policies that include violence and harassment provisions should have in place clear expectations and consequences for individual conduct. Other options include regulating physical access to workplaces (such as “layered levels” of access in health-care settings) and redesigning jobs and schedules to ensure that individuals do not work alone.
• Review prevention and response plans continually.
• Provide effective crisis leadership and response in the event of violence or harassment. Key actions include acknowledging the incident, communicating with both compassion and competence, and outlining the steps that are being taken to bring the organization back to normal and make it more resilient.
