Fear In The Workplace
Even if there is a workplace violence contingency plan, most employees say employers don’t really communicate those plans to them. Do you have clear policies and strategies? Do have your employees know what they are?
The Trends
2005 Bureau of Labor Statistics survey of 7.1 million private businesses found:
- Over 350,000 businesses reported workplace violence in the 12 months before the survey.
- Half of the largest establishments (employing 1,000 or more) reported an incident.
- 70% of workplaces had not issued a violence prevention policy.
- Of establishments reporting, 21% reported that the incident affected the fear level of their employees and 21% indicated that the incident affected their employees’ morale
2007 Bureau of Labor Statistics reports workplace assaults, other violent acts up 15.6 % from 2005
2009 Bureau of Labor Statistics report found:
- an average of 15 employees were killed each week as a result of workplace violence
- 75% of workplace homicides occur at the hands of robbers and other assailants.
- 17% of workplace homicides occur at the hands of coworkers and customers/clients.
Organizational Effects
According to the Department of Justice, one in six crimes occurs in the workplace and the number is increasing. Of the approximately 3.2 million crimes and thefts in the workplace, about 500,000 victims lose an estimated 1.8 million workdays each year and $55 million in lost wages, not including days covered by sick or vacation leave. And according to top employment attorneys, if there is a credible threat of workplace violence, and the employer doesn’t do everything it can to prevent that from occurring, the employer could be liable to employees.
Law enforcement professionals and workplace advocates agree – organizations should have a plan to address violence on their property. Further, most organizations, they say, don’t have the expertise or training to respond promptly to these kinds of threats, sometimes with tragic results.
Nesbitt & Associates helps you protect your people from internal or external violence, guard against liability costs and lost productivity, and protect your assets. Nesbitt & Associates has the law enforcement, public safety, and threat assessment experience and training to:
- Assess the effectiveness of your workplace safety and security policies and measures, and make recommendations that protect occupants of and visitors to your facility, including video surveillance options
- Assess your human resources policies and make policy recommendations for safely and effectively dealing with unacceptable employee behavior in your workplace
- Provide assistance in terminating a threatening employee
- Develop emergency plans to address a violent incident or outside intrusion
Members, Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP).