Violence in the workplace is an unfortunate, but all too common reality. In organizations comprised of people with different opinions, perspectives, biases, and values, normal disagreements can flash over into verbal or physical violence very quickly – all the more so in times of high stress and uncertainty such as we have now. Here are a few tips to avoiding and preventing workplace violence:

• Create a workplace violence zero tolerance policy and make all employees aware of it. But further than that – promote a climate of respect and tolerance through training on diversity.
• Use pre-hire assessments and background checks – we’ve noted this several times before, but pre-hire assessments and background checks are a good way to screen out potentially violent, problematic employees.
• Makes sure all employees are trained in recognizing workplace violence and what to do when it occurs. Make sure that they are clear on the reporting guidelines when workplace violence occurs. The first point of reporting is normally to a manager or to the HR Department who will make the decision to involve outside authorities if necessary.

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