Workplace Violence: Understanding and Prevention

Business, Corporate and Retail

Workplace violence can strike any business at any time, regardless of the industry.

Each business has a unique work environment. The workplace setting is a function of the type of business in which the organization is engaged and the corporate culture. Therefore, each implementation of Workplace Violence: Understanding and Prevention must be tailored to fit the specific needs of the organization. Regardless of the business, any comprehensive workplace violence prevention program must include the recognition of potential aggressive behaviors, crisis intervention techniques, verbal and non-verbal de-escalation techniques and, if necessary, self-protective measures.

According to a 2002 Congressional Testimony by the Federal Bureau of Investigation:

"Analysts and other occupational safety specialists have broadly agreed that responding to workplace violence requires attention to more than just an actual physical attack. Direct physical assault is on a spectrum that also includes threats, harassment, bullying, emotional abuse, intimidation, and other forms of conduct that create hurt and fear. All are part of the workplace violence problem; and, workplace violence prevention policies that do not consider threats and harassment, are unlikely to be effective."

Emerging trends in employment and labor law: House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations. 107th Congress. (2002).

The primary focus of Palladium Education and its non-violent approach to escalating situations is teaching participants how to manage situations in which violence could occur. In short, make the situation a win-win encounter. The philosophy of Palladium Education is to allow the agitated or angry person to vent their feelings while maintaining dignity, yet always guarding the safety of employees. The goal of Workplace Violence: Understanding and Prevention is conflict resolution over physical containment. When conflict escalates to crisis, it becomes a no-win situation for the all parties involved. Resolution without confrontation is the pinnacle of success. Additionally, our training program researches the assault, battery, and stalking laws of each state in which the program is given so the participants can have an understanding of their individual rights and protections.

The easy to understand course material was first implemented in 1985 and has been used successfully in various industries from California police departments, casinos in Nevada, and various medical facilities in California, Nevada and Hawaii. The program has been in continuous use since 1986 at a rehabilitation facility in Hawaii for both the clinical staff and security personnel.

Our program is customized for your specific needs. We begin with our core plan and then partner with you to develop a system that is specific to your environment. We provide formalized, time-sensitive material guided by your organization's official policy and federal, state and local regulations. Each implementation of the Workplace Violence: Understanding and Prevention is unique.

We see several broad audiences in a business environment, each with specific needs: Office staff, customer service/sales staff, factory workers, and security staff.

Office Staff

Potential crisis situations in an office environment will primarily originate as:

Aggression against co-workers, supervisors or managers by a current or former employee
Aggression directed towards employees by customers for whom an organization provides service
Aggression directed towards an employee by a non-employee with a personal a relationship. For example, an abusive spouse, domestic partner, boyfriend or girlfriend, etc.

Customer Service and Sales Staff

A retail environment where employees are in direct contact with the general public runs the full spectrum of potential crisis situations:

Aggression against co-workers, supervisors or managers by a current or former employee
Aggression directed towards employees by customers for whom an organization provides service
Aggression directed towards an employee by a non-employee with a personal a relationship. For example, an abusive spouse, domestic partner, boyfriend or girlfriend, etc.
Aggression committed by criminals intent on robbery

Factory Workers

Aggression toward other workers
Aggression toward supervisors, managers, or union representatives
Aggression based on external factors such as a personal relationship
Intimidation by workers toward others

Security Staff

Security employees have special training requirements as they are sometimes authorized to lay hands upon assaultive individuals. They are also expected to provide general security for company property, customers and employees. Even with security staff, we hold true to our philosophy that non-violent intervention is the primary response. Using verbal and non-verbal skills to obtain compliance is preferable to pain compliance and physical containment.

In addition to the core program, security staff will be trained in Compassionate Containment^® and the use of handcuffs.

Course Objectives

Participants will be able to:

Identify reasons why people may become violent
Identify basic crisis intervention techniques
Provide a safe environment in times of crisis at the facility
Identify personal reactions to confrontation
Identify and understand assault indicators
Demonstrate effective self-protective techniques to allow an escape from dangerous situations
Identify personal safety strategies at the workplace
Identify personal safety strategies at home
Understand personal risk factors related to violent behavior
Explain the Stress Model with fight or flight reactions
Discuss the theoretical models of assault
Understand how the working environment can affect behavior

Products and Services Offered

On-site evaluations
Assistance in preparing your organization's plans, policy and procedure documents
Prevention training
Compassionate Containment^®
Strategies for personal safety
Self protective measures
eLearning modules

Training Services