Abstract
This incident management program includes a set of guidelines that should be followed by the employees who face workplace violence. They should take several precautions that can help them avoid danger. Additionally, this program includes procedures for stopping violence at the early stages. Furthermore, this plan lays stress on the need to investigate violent incidents because this investigation is vital for eliminating the flaws of the organizational design. Finally, this program identifies the steps that are necessary for continuing the work of the company and reducing the financial impact of violent incidents. These guidelines will be designed for the organization that employs more than 100 workers. The expenditures related to the implementation of this program will be entirely justified because violent incidents usually lead to greater losses. Thus, one should examine these questions in greater detail.
Introduction
The management of violent incidents in the workplace requires the existence of a plan that specifies the duties of different participants. This program will be developed for a large organization that employs more than 100 workers. These steps will be necessary for mitigating the potential effects of such incidents. In many cases, the impacts of such events can be reduced if employees know what kind of measures should be taken during the time of the incident. Additionally, the management should take precautions that are critical for restoring the operations of the company. Furthermore, this plan should include procedures that can minimize the risk of such events. Overall, these precautions can make this company more resilient to the threats associated with workplace violence. Thus, one should examine this plan more carefully.
Main text
At first, it is necessary to take precautions that can prevent people from bringing firearms to the workplace. So, security personnel should be equipped with metal detectors. Moreover, these people should make sure that people cannot enter the building without authorization. Very often, workplace violence occurs due to the flaws of security policies. Therefore, security guards should continuously use metal detectors even if they know an employee. Additionally, the company should apply access cards and video surveillance that may prevent intruders from entering the building. Admittedly, the procurement of these technologies will require certain expenses; however, these expenditures are much smaller than the costs of a violent incident. So, the company should invest capital in security technologies that are readily accessible to businesses.
Additionally, employees should know how to react to violence. This knowledge is necessary in those cases when the violence involves firearms. In particular, they should know how to evacuate the building. So, the maps of the building should be placed in those locations where they can be easily seen. Moreover, it is possible to post directions that will help people head for the emergency exit. These visual aids can assist them in avoiding risks to their health. Furthermore, they should warn other people against entering the building because they may not know about the violent incident. Finally, they need to call the police as soon as possible (Dewe, 2010). If these steps are taken, violent accidents will be less dangerous.
Furthermore, there should be guidelines showing how an individual should act if there is no opportunity to leave the building. For instance, workers should be reminded that one can fight a person with firearms only if there is no other choice. So, employees should adopt the strategy that is known as “Run, Hide, Fight” (Weidman, 2015, p. 40). Additionally, they should be able to block access to different areas of the building (Weidman, 2015). Overall, security personnel should inform employees about these behavioral strategies that can help them save their lives.
Admittedly, violence does not necessarily involve firearms. Very often, people choose to use brutal force that can also pose a threat to the health of victims. Workers should know how to avoid physical violence if they need to resolve a conflict. In turn, businesses administrators should identify the rules of communication that should be adopted in the organization. Very often, the use of physical violence is caused by verbal abuse or threats. Moreover, workers should inform the security personnel as soon as possible if they see that violence is inevitable. These professionals can quickly isolate people who pose a threat to workers.
These steps are useful for mitigating the impacts of violence in the company. Nevertheless, the management should keep in mind that violence in the workplace is often caused by inefficient workplace practices. For instance, individuals can act aggressively if they continuously have to struggle with work stress (Dewe, 2010). So, business administrators should focus on such aspects as scheduling, compensation, and so forth. These measures are necessary for the prevention of violent accidents. Additionally, it is important to investigate every case of violence or bullying in the workplace (Privitera, 2010, p. 47). In many instances, people decide to respond violently, if they see that management does try to eliminate bullying. So, the management should put an end to bullying as soon as possible. If violence takes place, the management should investigate the main factors that contributed to the incident. So, they should interview every person who could have been involved in a violent incident. This argument is particularly important in those cases when one of the employees participates in the conflict. This task is critical for improving various workplace procedures. In some cases, a worker, who acted aggressively, may need to receive psychological counseling.
Several business areas will be affected by this plan. In particular, one should lay stress on the role of HR management. They will investigate every case of violence. Secondly, there will be a group of business administrators who will need to restore the operations of the company. For instance, the representatives of the IT department should make sure the workers can complete some of their tasks at home. In this way, the management can minimize financial losses caused by workplace violence.
Conclusion
Overall, this plan is supposed to achieve several goals. In particular, it has to reduce the impact of these incidents on the lives or health of employees. It includes a set of steps that workers should take if they face violence. Secondly, this program includes strategies for eliminating possible causes of this problem. In many cases, these incidents can be the result of ineffective workplace practices. This program is quite suitable for the needs of a large organization that can afford potential expenditures. This plan may not be entirely acceptable for small businesses because it is rather expensive. Overall, this approach is based on the assumption that management should focus on the prevention of incidents and minimization of their effects.
Reference
Dewe, P. (2010). Coping with Work Stress: A Review and Critique. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
Privitera, M. (2010). Workplace Violence in Mental and General Healthcare Settings. New York, NY: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Weidman, D. (2015, July). AD 614 Lecture 1. Boston, MA, USA.