Workplace Violence Preparedness and Training

It is hard to think about a violent incident occurring in your workplace, but it is necessary to do so—each year, 2 million U.S. workers are victims of workplace violence—yet 70% of all workplaces don’t have a formal workplace violence prevention plan.

 

What would you do if an employee became hostile and threatened other employees? Or if a spouse followed an employee onto the premises, and attempted to continue acts of domestic violence? Or if an active shooter targeted your organization?

 

Do you have a plan?

R3 Continuum responds to hundreds of workplace violence incidents every year in the U.S., and regardless of your organization’s size, industry, or geography, you are not exempt from the possibility of violence.

 

You can, however, prepare for situations by creating an end-to-end plan for your organization to ensure that you and your employees are prepared and trained to recognize and minimize threats.

 

Insurance to protect against disruption

Anissa closed her laptop after reading another news story of yet another violent incident in the workplace. These situations seemed to be happening more often, and as the HR manager for a healthcare organization, she knew her industry was frequently targeted. That’s why, six months ago, Anissa talked with the company CEO about establishing a workplace violence plan and training program for the employees.

 

The CEO agreed to proceed and after researching consultants, Anissa asked R3 Continuum to help. She expected Sonali, the consultant, to start with tactical advice, i.e., “here’s what you do when there’s an active shooter.” But to her surprise, Sonali first sat down with Anissa and asked a lot of questions. What type of program does the company currently have in place? What does it look like? Is there a threat management team? Who do departments contact if an event occurs?

 

Protecting the company was much more than knowing how to react to a particular incident, Anissa realized. A comprehensive plan, combined with training, was the best insurance to keep employees safe.

 

End-to-end solutions for workplace violence prevention 

R3 Continuum offers workplace violence preparedness and training options, so company leaders and employees have a comprehensive plan and proper training to prepare for the unknown. Starting with a discovery process, we review your current plan and procedures to find out where any gaps or needs might be. If you do not currently have a plan, we will ask the right questions to determine what processes you will need. This informs a workplace violence preparedness plan tailored to your organization and industry.

 

R3 Continuum helps leaders create a safer workplace

End-to-end consulting capabilities may include:

• Gap analysis of vulnerability and threat assessment
• Policy and procedures review and analysis
• Organizational crisis response planning
• Executive leadership crisis protocols
• Threat assessment, management, communication, and response protocols
• Development of threat management team
• Development of systemic threat reporting and mitigation system
• Development of a predictive intelligence and social media monitoring protocol
• Physical security audits
• Protocols for legally defensible documentation

 

Providing employers and employees a plan, skills—and peace of mind

When the entire company completed R3 Continuum’s onsite training, employees told Anissa it reminded them of having car insurance—you hoped you would never need it, but if you did, it would be crucial and reassuring to have.  

 

She glanced at her closed laptop and felt a pang of grief for the company in the news article, that now had to recover from the violent incident. She was glad her company had been proactive in contacting R3 Continuum. Although the preparedness plan and training could not guarantee that a workplace crisis wouldn’t happen, she and the other employees now had the confidence, knowledge, and skills to keep themselves and others safe if one did occur.

 

A training plan that fits your needs

The workplace violence training packages we offer are designed to fit your budgetary and timing needs, with topics including:

• Hostility management—how to understand, engage, and de-escalate hostile people
• Threat assessment & management—how to screen and assess for violence and mitigate risk
• Active shooter—understand best practices to prepare for and respond to active shooter situations
• Self-defense 101—introductory techniques for personal safety
• Threat assessment team—advanced training to deepen understanding of violence risk, threat management, and dealing with special situations (i.e., domestic violence, lone-actor terrorism, stalking)

 

Whether your organization is large or small, you as a leader are responsible for creating a workplace in which employees feel physically and psychologically safe. Having a comprehensive crisis plan and training is key to meeting that goal.