According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), 2 million Americans will fall victim to some variety of violence in the workplace every single year. OSHA defines workplace violence as any violence or threat of violence on a person in their place of employment. With many office shootings and other attacks occurring in the past year, businesses big and small are becoming increasingly concerned with preventing workplace violence.

Are you concerned with protecting your employees from violence? The following tips on preventing workplace violence will help.

1. Take threats of violence and alleged reports of threat seriously.

You can't assume that your business is safe from workplace violence. Preventing workplace violence requires all business owners to accept the fact that it could happen on their property and with their employees. One fact that binds all of the major acts of workplace violence that have been in the news in the past two years is that employees and business owners were taken by surprise.

Major acts of workplace violence can erupt suddenly and you will have little to no time to prepare, so it is important that you act to take preparations right now.

2. Establish a zero tolerance policy complete with set disciplinary standards.

The simplest yet most important thing you can do to help prevent violence in your business is to establish a zero tolerance policy for violence and make sure all of your employees are well aware of it. You have to make it clear what you consider an act of violence to be and this should include verbal as well as physical violence. Make it clear that threats of violence and bullying behavior will not be tolerated either.

Your policy can't just be a list of what behaviors you won't accept. You have to back it up with a clear discipline policy that will hold employees accountable if the do make threats or otherwise do something that could lead to violence or be taken as violence.

Once you put this policy into place you must actively implement it as necessary. Employees must see you are serious.

3. Educate all employees in a managerial or supervisory role on the signs of potential violence.

All employees should be educated on your zero tolerance policy, but your managers and supervisors should receive additional training so they can spot the signs of potential violence and take action before something actually happens. You can find a lot of free resources for this education online or you might want to hold a special meeting or seminar with a local professional actively involved with preventing workplace violence.

4. Make it easy and safe for employees to report threats and behaviors they find alarming.

If you have a safe, discreet way for employees to report threats of violence or behaviors they find disturbing, they will use it. Many will worry about their jobs if they have to go face-to-face with a manager to do this, so an anonymous system that goes straight to head management or the company owner is often best.

© By Mandy-Jane Clarke

Stop-Bullies.com