In the realm of human resources, no other issue poses as much of a threat to the life of your company, not to mention the safety of your employees, as that of workplace violence. In the past several years, one of the primary focuses of conscientious HR managers and CEOs has been toward finding and creating training programs and procedures that will minimize the impact of this threat to both the company and its lifeblood – the employees working for it.
However, contrary to the popular trend among human resource managers and the companies they represent to lean towards programs that focus solely on interpersonal communications and stress-management, your focus should be on expanding your employee training to include programs that teach your people what to do when these passive tactics fail. Ask any expert who knows how to effectively handle danger in its most raw form and they will all tell you…
…only those capable of handling the worst of situations can easily handle lesser problems effectively.
I know how that sounds. It can certainly be argued that non-aggressive people can be taught negotiation, and other such skills in handling and diffusing a potentially violent situation. And…
…I would agree. If…
…we weren’t talking about the concern for the potential on the part of one of the participants, for violence.
As illogical as this sounds, the fear, or ignorance, of the potential for violence can actually cause a situation to escalate faster towards that end.
Do you understand the implication of that statement?
It’s so important that I’ll say it again…
“The fear, or ignorance, of the potential for violence can actually cause a situation to escalate faster towards that end.”
Earlier, when I implied that “non-aggressive people” may actually cause a violent reaction, I was not saying that you should be training your people to be violent, in order to counter violence. In fact, I wasn’t talking about the predisposition towards violence at all.
What I was talking about was aggressiveness in its positive state, as the willingness to take on challenges and risk. The fact is that our modern society, with its politically-correct sensitivities, has produced a significant number of people who think they can reason and “nice” their way through any situation or hardship. These people have never had to deal with really scary situations – like an attacker throwing raw, unadulterated, hatred and violence in your direction. So, by the time they realize that they can’t reason with an employee with say a passive-aggressive personality disorder, or a hostile customer, it will be too late.
Not to mention the fact that the target of the violence will be totally unprepared at that point because they have never learned how to effectively handle violence. And THAT is the point. Your employees don’t have to be violent people to know how to effectively deal with violence.
So, unless part of the prerequisites for employment into any position in your company includes requiring that people are already trained in karate or some other form of self-defense, the likelihood is that the majority of your employee base – yourself included – will find themselves on the “victim” section of the post-incident and police reports.
NOT where anyone wants to be!
By now, my focus and logic should be clear.
Make sure that your workplace violence plan is empowering your employees to do more than talk. Believe it or not, the primary reason that postal centers, schools, and other such buildings are the favored targets for the weak but violent person, is that…
…the attacker will not meet with resistance before doing what they set out to do.
The fact that employees in these businesses cannot carry weapons makes them the perfect targets for those who choose to use them. Think about it. When do these attackers kill themselves?
Right!
When the cops – the guys with the guns – show up.
Looking at this logic from another perspective, how often do you hear of police officers attacking each other?
Right!
Never!
And why is that?
Right, again!
They are all either armed or capable of stopping the violence long before it has a chance to escalate.
You certainly don’t have to arm your employees, and I’m not suggesting that you should. However, adding training to your workplace violence program that at the very minimum teaches your employees how to avoid, evade, and escape from an aggressor who is attacking them with anything from punches and kicks, to guns and knives is not only a good idea, but doing so will likely decrease or eliminate your liability in a post-attack aftermath, as-well-as providing other benefits.
Even training to survive a terrorist attack is not outside the scope of the well-crafted workplace violence plan. The attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11th, 2001 is a prime example of a situation that, to many, “doesn’t happen here.”
And, you know what?
Watching the responses of literally hundreds of people who panicked and chose to jump from windows, run up to the rooftop of a burning building, or simply acquiesce and make “good-bye” phone calls to loved-ones a full half hour or so before the end, to me, was one of the most horrific sights I have ever witnessed.
And all because they had no idea what to do.
Had these people been trained to think under pressure, many more people would have survived the violence and mayhem that day.
Remember, the Enlightened leader sees beyond the obvious. He or she is capable of recognizing potential threats to their goal and takes steps to minimize the damage should the worst happen. And the key here is…
…taking the action that’s required.
This leader also knows that, what sounds illogical when you think about it – intellectually, is often the very thing that will produce greater results than ideas founded on conventional wisdom. And, protecting your business from workplace violence is one such situation. Empowering your employees by teaching them simple, but workable self-defense tactics IS the key to…
- Virtually eliminating the possibility of aggression due to superior advantage being in your favor – not the assailant’s
- Reducing fear-based stress on employees by empowering them with skills that work
- Protecting your company from post-attack lawsuits from employee-victims who were NOT trained to deal with this type of problem
But, you and I both know. It’s your company, your money, and your decision.
And you and your employees must live, or not, with what you decide. Literally!
Jeffrey M. Miller is the founder and CEO of Warrior Concepts International, and specializes in providing real-world self-protection and personal development training to individuals, companies, and organizations world-wide. He is a former federal police officer, private investigator and bodyguard. His background includes undercover drug and black market suppression, personal protection, and physical security activities. He has been involved in the study, practice and teaching of self-protection and personal development through the martial arts for three decades. His latest book, The Science of Self-Defense and the video “Danger Prevention Tactics: Protecting Yourself Like a Pro,” are available via his website at http://www.wcinternational.com – He may be also be reached for media interviews, speaking engagements, and client inquiries at (570) 988-2228
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The Acceptance of Human Resource Innovation: Lessons for Management: : “The Acceptance of Human Resource Innovation, based on a survey done by the author at the Valiant Insurance Corp., examines the adoption, implementation and acceptance of workplace innovations introduced by management. The purpose of the book is to provide an understanding of the gap that exists between the stated purpose of a new human resource program and its actual achievements. The study done at the insurance company was designed to measure employee reaction to and acceptance of the following human resource innovations: quality circles, job posting, flex-time, a fitness program, flexible benefits, case rewards, an employee newsletter and a peer award. The study found that executives and managers were more accepting of these innovations than were lower level employees.” Personnel Administrator – read more.
