{"id":12022,"date":"2021-10-05T10:58:48","date_gmt":"2021-10-05T08:58:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/how-to-prevent-violence-in-the-workplace\/"},"modified":"2024-04-18T20:05:58","modified_gmt":"2024-04-18T18:05:58","slug":"how-to-prevent-violence-in-the-workplace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/en\/how-to-prevent-violence-in-the-workplace\/","title":{"rendered":"How to prevent violence in the workplace?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"12022\" class=\"elementor elementor-12022 elementor-2967\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-983cf98 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"983cf98\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a47ed50\" data-id=\"a47ed50\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5c4a6ac elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5c4a6ac\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1><strong>How to prevent violence in the workplace?<\/strong><\/h1>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><em>Statistics presented in the <a style=\"color: #808080;\" href=\"http:\/\/bezpieczniwpracy.pl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Raport-Bezpiecze%C5%84stwo-Pracy-w-Polsce-2019.pdf\">Occupational Safety Report<\/a><\/em><em>  are alarming &#8211; 53% of Polish employees have experienced verbal violence at work, 46% have experienced bullying, 39% have experienced discrimination, and 14% have experienced physical violence. A staggering 63% have been treated inappropriately by a supervisor. At the same time, 85% of respondents said they were stressed at work.<\/em><em>  So it seems, unfortunately, that violence in various forms is not unique to the Polish market.  <\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The result is increased stress, but also potential psychological consequences for the employee &#8211; such as depression, anxiety disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder. Thus, we expose our employees to potential danger and its long-term effects, as well as our company to financial losses due to their reduced productivity and commitment.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Types of violence in the workplace<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are the main types of aggression that can occur in the office? Here they are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Physical violence (e.g., assault, rape)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Psychological violence (e.g., manipulation, emotional blackmail)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Verbal violence (e.g., using insults, judging and criticizing, threats)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Destruction of company or employee property<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bullying, which can be a mix of all the above types<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Consequences of violence in the workplace<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Violence has many unpleasant consequences for both the employee directly involved in the act of violence, as well as for his colleagues and the organization as a whole.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like the domestic violence just mentioned, that in the workplace also <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.headsup.org.au\/supporting-others\/workplace-bullying\"><br \/>\n  <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">can<\/span><br \/>\n<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/hqlo.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/s12955-019-1164-3\"><br \/>\n  <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">contribute<\/span><br \/>\n<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increased stress and\/or anxiety<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Physical health problems<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Professional burnout<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sleep problems<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Depression<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anxiety disorders<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Suicidal thoughts and even a suicide attempt.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Being a victim or witness to violence in the office is also associated with reduced job satisfaction, trust in superiors and productivity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This, of course, means <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurofound.europa.eu\/sites\/default\/files\/ef_files\/pubdocs\/2002\/109\/en\/1\/ef02109en.pdf\"><br \/>\n  <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">losses<\/span><br \/>\n<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for the company <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/oshwiki.eu\/wiki\/Workplace_violence#Consequences_of_workplace_violence\"><br \/>\n  <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in the form of<\/span><br \/>\n<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, among other things:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">increased employee turnover  <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.subscribepage.com\/hearme-niespokojnaglowa\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increased number of sick leaves<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Financial losses due to lower employee productivity and possible lawsuits.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>How to prevent violence at work?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all plan for preventing workplace violence &#8211; each company must create its own to fit the circumstances. This is not just about aggression among employees, but also additional risks. For example, a bank facility that stores money and valuables will have different potential threats from a software company that handles sensitive data. We will focus on personal violence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So how do you minimize the chances of danger and keep your employees as safe as possible?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #626eed;\"><strong>Create regulations for violence<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilo.org\/wcmsp5\/groups\/public\/---dgreports\/---gender\/documents\/publication\/wcms_814507.pdf\"><br \/>\n  <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">first step<\/span><br \/>\n<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">  In preventing violence in your company. Such regulations, in addition to the obvious legal provisions, should also include a plan for responding to violence. Let it include such information as:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Evacuation routes and safe places to hide<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">emergency and security telephones<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Where to report the incident and what is the procedure for doing so.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Knowledge of such an action plan can be conveyed in the form of workshops, periodic training sessions or a series of educational internal newsletters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #626eed;\"><strong>Start countering violence by recruiting and implementing<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Act already at the recruitment level. If the person has a criminal record, ask for more details during the interview. Be direct*, without wrapping it up, but also give the candidate a chance to tell their part of the story. Check feedback from previous employers. Of course, if the person has repeatedly shown a propensity for aggression and violence before, you may want to drop his candidacy altogether for the safety of your employees. Your priority should be the health of those who are already under your care.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Try to provide adequate training during deployment to prepare new recruits on how to respond to violence. Necessarily emphasize that the company has an absolute zero tolerance towards her. At the same time, assure that if something happens, everyone can count on support from superiors and the company.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #626eed;\"><strong>Create a culture of support<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/feed\/update\/urn:li:ugcPost:6836218935206043648?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_feedUpdate%3A%28*%2Curn%3Ali%3AugcPost%3A6836218935206043648%29\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We have already written<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">  On why you should listen to your employees. Their active listening increases engagement, raises productivity and loyalty to the company, morale improves, employees are less stressed and enjoy a better sense of well-being. Creating such an atmosphere of support at work makes employees unafraid to come to us with their problems and express their needs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Less stress and anxiety means fewer potential outbursts of anger and even aggression. More importantly, however, such a culture of helpfulness and openness can mobilize employees to ask for help in case of  <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/h7.iovo.pl\/jak-dotrzec-do-pracownikow-ktorzy-maja-mysli-samobojcze\/\"><br \/>\n  <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">suicidal thoughts<\/span><br \/>\n<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; that can lead to aggression against themselves or others &#8211; and also when they are victims of domestic violence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This type of violence, although it doesn&#8217;t happen directly in the company, has a huge impact on how an employee functions within it. There is also the danger that the attacker\/aggressor will follow the employee to the workplace.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Encourage reporting of acts of violence and assure full confidentiality. Also remind them of the forms of support the company offers to employees.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #626eed;\"><strong>Educate your employees<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Healthy and empathetic communication is an extremely helpful skill in life. It not only allows for better contact with the other person, but also helps resolve conflicts. An example of a mode of communication that works well in deescalating dangerous situations &#8211; is used, among others. By mediators &#8211; is the Nonviolent Agreement (PBP, English.  <\/span><i><br \/>\n  <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Non-Violent Communication<\/span><br \/>\n<\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A great way to prevent violence and prepare employees for it at the same time is through empathy workshops or just such communication methods as PBP. Education about warning signs and appropriate responses is also important.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the same time, raise awareness among employees about the consequences &#8211; health and legal &#8211; of violence.  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #626eed;\"><strong>Make an analysis of the company<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conduct an audit in terms of regulations and preparedness &#8211; of the company and employees &#8211; for violence in its various forms. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.edgepointlearning.com\/blog\/workplace-violence-prevention\/\"><br \/>\n  <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Questions<\/span><br \/>\n<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">that you can ask are, for example:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Has there ever been an incident in the office before?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How was the situation addressed?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is there anything missing from the regulations or action plan?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If &#8211; fortunately! &#8211; To nothing so far, what is your company doing right?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is the mood of the employees &#8211; do they feel listened to? (you can take a survey)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, if the incident occurred, analysis of the situation is mandatory!<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>How to support victims of violence at work?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People who have experienced violence in the workplace <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/violence_injury_prevention\/violence\/interpersonal\/en\/WVmanagementvictimspaper.pdf\"><br \/>\n  <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">may have<\/span><br \/>\n<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">  reluctance to report it. Fear of repercussions or loss of reputation effectively stops victims (and witnesses) from seeking support from a superior or the HR department. As we said, creating a culture of support and openness within a company can make it easier for them to ask for help.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the incident happened a while ago, take care of the victim&#8217;s safety. Provide her with care &#8211; medical, if needed, or psychological. People can react to violence in a wide variety of ways. Even if the person looks unmoved by the event, do not underestimate his reaction and encourage him to use the  <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/h7.iovo.pl\/\"><br \/>\n  <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">psychological support services<\/span><br \/>\n<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Unfortunately, violence in various forms is not unique to the Polish market. The result is increased stress, but also potential psychological consequences for the employee &#8211; such as depression, anxiety disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":5355,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[251,256],"temat":[217],"class_list":["post-12022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-development","tag-leader","temat-spoleczny-well-being"],"acf":[],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Photo-Blog-2-1.png",1600,1067,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Photo-Blog-2-1.png",1600,1067,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Photo-Blog-2-1.png",1600,1067,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Photo-Blog-2-1-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Photo-Blog-2-1-300x200.png",300,200,true],"large":["https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Photo-Blog-2-1-1200x800.png",1200,800,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Photo-Blog-2-1-1536x1024.png",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Photo-Blog-2-1.png",1600,1067,false],"be_thumbnail":["https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Photo-Blog-2-1.png",150,100,false],"be_clients":["https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Photo-Blog-2-1.png",112,75,false],"slider-content":["https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Photo-Blog-2-1-1630x860.png",1630,860,true],"portfolio-mf":["https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Photo-Blog-2-1-1280x1000.png",1280,1000,true],"portfolio-mf-w":["https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Photo-Blog-2-1-1280x500.png",1280,500,true],"portfolio-mf-t":["https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Photo-Blog-2-1-768x1200.png",768,1200,true],"portfolio-list":["https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Photo-Blog-2-1-1800x750.png",1800,750,true],"blog-portfolio":["https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Photo-Blog-2-1-960x720.png",960,720,true],"blog-single":["https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Photo-Blog-2-1-1200x675.png",1200,675,true],"mobile-srcset":["https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Photo-Blog-2-1.png",488,325,false]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Weronika Roszkowska","author_link":"https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/en\/author\/weronika\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/en\/category\/articles\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Articles<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Unfortunately, violence in various forms is not unique to the Polish market. The result is increased stress, but also potential psychological consequences for the employee - such as depression, anxiety disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12022"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12022\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12025,"href":"https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12022\/revisions\/12025"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12022"},{"taxonomy":"temat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edu.emplomind.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/temat?post=12022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}