Workplace Violence (CONT’D FROM PAGE 26)
places I go into and no one has read the policy in years,” says White. Tread Carefully So your workplace violence policy is written, communi- cated and posted. How should you approach the employ- ee whose behavior violates its terms? Privately and with sensitivity. “Do not approach the troubled employee in public,” says Bonczyk. “That can be devastating and embarrass- ing, and can lead to still more aggressive acts.” Bonczyk advises pulling the person aside and holding a meeting behind closed doors. “Put away the cell phone and focus 100 percent on the employee.” Start by putting the individual at ease, advises Bonczyk. “Break the ice and give the employee an opportunity to calm down by offering a glass of water or a cup of coffee, and by talking about common topics such as the weather or new movies.” Once the individual seems calm and collected, move on to a description of the behavior you have witnessed. You might open with words such as these: “Josh, yester- day I noticed that you shouted at Sandra when she asked you to help with her presentation. You seemed very angry. What was going on which caused you to behave that way? And how can we help?” “Focus on what you have seen,” says Bonczyk. De- scribe behaviors that you have actually witnessed rather CONTINUED ON PAGE 30
ior to supervisors who can start to more closely monitor the troubled worker. “The key is to catch a problem early on. When supervisors fail to address early warning signs, the employee’s problems can marinate over time and then get to the point where there is some kind of damaging outburst.” Zero Tolerance Experts on workplace violence suggest that every em- ployer establish a “zero tolerance” workplace violence policy that mandates termination for acts of violence, or threats of such acts. For less extreme behavior, an employ- er should mandate a system of progressive discipline that may include administrative leave and mandatory psycho- logical evaluation and counseling. A workplace policy should also address the subject of weapons. “No weapons should be allowed in the work- place or in the business parking lot,” says Bonczyk. “You would be surprised what people put in their purses and backpacks. Those things include knives and guns.” A caveat is that some state laws allow authorized fire- arm owners to keep guns in the trunks of their cars. Con- sult with an attorney to learn if your business is located in a so-called “guns in trunks” state. Once you have written a workplace violence policy, make it available to all employees. Don’t just put the doc- ument on the shelf and forget it. “I can’t tell you how many
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