Tag: Work

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Tackle Violence At Work

As an employer you have an obligation to tackle violence at work under health and safety legislation. Failure to deal effectively with violence costs you in multiple ways, with poor staff moral, poor organizational image and extra cost through absenteeism, higher insurance premiums and compensation payments. Making a start to tackle violence at work makes good business sense and could pay dividends in improved productivity and reduced absenteeism.

There are five main pieces of health and safety legislation which are relevant to violence at work:

  • The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSW Act)
  • The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
  • The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences 1995 (RIDDOR)
  • Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977
  • The Health and Safety (Consultations with Employee) Regulations 1996

You have a legal duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of your employees, under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. This duty includes all forms of work-related violence, which HSE defines as: ‘Any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work’. This means:

  • physical violence – including kicking, spitting, hitting or pushing, as well as more extreme violence with weapons
  • verbal abuse – including shouting, swearing or insults, racial or sexual abuse
  • threats and intimidation

Violence at work can cause pain and distress for victims, even disability or death. Although physical attacks can have a obvious effect, serious or persistent verbal abuse or threats can also damage the health of employees through stress or prolonged anxiety.

If you have a violent incident at work involving members of your workforce it is important to act quickly in order to reduce the effect of long term distress. Plan to support your employees before any incident occurs, so that the support mechanisms are already in place. As an employer you may want to consider

  • Debriefing to give victims time to talk through their experience
  • Time off work, possibly with special counseling
  • Legal help in serious cases
  • Providing training for other employees to help them react appropriately
  • Reviewing you policies and procedures to reduce the possibility of occurrence

As good employers we can all work to help reduce the frequency and severity of violent incidents at work, and provide support for the victims if it does occur. Act promptly to reduce the cost of workplace violence to your business, and have a safer and happier workforce as a bonus!

Additional resources to help tackle violence at work:

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The Importance of Values in Relationships

I listened to a great web broadcast on combating domestic violence this evening at www.watchlivebroadcast.com.

One of the most important factors in defining the success of a relationship is the common set of values the parties share. For example, if both parties value the environment, then it is obvious that they would have something in common. Similarly if they both were interested in the same sport, then conversation would easily flow around their shared interest.

However if one person values an extravagant lifestyle, and the other values thrift, then they could well have a source of conflict. It is obvious when you think about it, except most people might not even consider it.

The same goes for relationships in the workplace both between colleagues, and with managers and managed. If the manager values brevity but the managed likes to talk around the subject, to establish report before broaching a difficult subject, you can see how this could be a problem. If the company values honesty, but the senior management show little regard for it, then they would have no creditability with the workforce.

Here are a few simple tips to help:

  • Communicate honestly; Credibility is crucial and must be built over time in routine interactions.
  • Listen to concerns. Be available and attentive when employees approach them.
  • Address problems promptly. If the problem requires time to resolve, tell the employee that and update them periodically.
  • Act professionally. Leaders must be consistent in their treatment of employees.

If you want to find out how important values are in relationships, try this little exercise. With your partner, list the top four things you each value in terms of Life, Relationships, Work and Finance. Work separately, and then compare your lists. The differences can be quiet revealing!

Life
What is important to you about life in general: good health and physical fitness, freedom, a sense of accomplishment, fame, travel, mental vitality, recreation and play, learning, the arts, music, creative endeavors, reading, learning, spirituality, religion, helping others, protecting the environment, nature?

Relationships
What is important to you with other people: love, trust and honesty, respect from others, loyalty, family, many or few close friends, marriage, sexuality, companionship?

Work
What is important to you in your work: challenge, ownership, recognition, high learning curve, adequate free time, interesting work, stability, control, creativity, minor stress?

Financial
What is important to you regarding finances: owning nice things, retirement, having extra money for travel or leisure, being financially secure, being debt-free, being wealthy?

If you are interested in finding out more about relationships, you should check out the Dr Phil site. Click here to read Dr Phil’s Personal Relationship Values

For more information on combating domestic violence, click here to visit bullyinganddomesticviolence.com