Workplace Violence, truth or dare?
Dare to consider that violence in the workplace is imaginary; then talk to a hospital emergency room nurse, a doorman or bouncer, a depressed co-worker, or just observe any minority who battles through race, sex, gender, disability, class or religious diversity just to be included.
The truth, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), is that workplace violence affects nearly 2 million American workers annually.¹
Workplace violence has many potential harmful effects including, stress, emotional trauma, loss of safety or security, lowered morale or productivity, negative culture, bullying, damage to property, physical harm to people, as well as increased costs due to claims, absenteeism, and supervision. Any bias or unwanted attention can be viewed as a warning sign towards unwanted behavior that may warrant further action to be taken by an employer.
California recently took a proactive step to help prevent workplace violence by passing Senate Bill, 553 (SB 553), which requires employers to develop and implement a workplace violence prevention plan as of July 1, 2024. Every employer should consider at least (3) three things;
Become aware of the potential warning signs and risks of violence for your culture,
Make a plan to for your organization and involve Human Resources, Safety, Security and Law Enforcement,
Make workers aware of workplace violence and train people to report and respond to events.
To learn more about workplace violence, contact us for more information.
Sources:
Cal-OSHA Workplace Violence Prevention in General Industry, June, 2024.
