4 Highly Effective Ways To Reduce Workplace Violence

Workplace violence is an important issue to be trained on in case it happens in your workplace. Workplace violence is violence or the threat of violence against workers. It can occur inside or outside the workplace and can range from verbal threats and abuses to physical assaults, as severe as homicide. However it happens, workplace violence is a growing concern for employers and employees nationwide and abroad.

Companies should have a major focus on reducing and, ideally, eliminating, workplace violence. According to the Department of Labor (DOL), “Violence in the workplace is a serious safety and health issue. Its most extreme form, homicide, is the fourth-leading cause of fatal occupational injury in the United States.” This statistic is both staggering and crucial to change for the safety of all.

While not all incidents can be prevented, employers can take the following steps to greatly reduce the chances of their employees becoming victims or offenders of crime.

Firstly, make professional pre-employment background screening a mandatory step in the hiring process. Use a professional and experienced company such as Accu-Screen.com. Having a deeper knowledge of the background of employees that are working for you is important in reducing problems that can lead to workplace violence. A careful, thorough employee background screening including record searches for both criminal records and substance abuse can reveal many inconsistencies. Employers need to be aware for this information to try and protect their workplace. It is the responsibility and duty of an employer to make sure that only qualified, safe employees are hired.

Secondly, employers should establish a zero-tolerance policy toward any type of workplace violence against or by their employees. This includes both physical and verbal violence. The employer should set up a workplace violence prevention program or include the information into an existing accident prevention program, manual of standard operating procedures or employee handbook. It is critical to ensure that all employees know the policy and understand that all claims of workplace violence will be investigated and remedied promptly.

Thirdly, intervention should be taken immediately if any workplace violence is seen or reported. Intervention is some type of action taken to break up a situation. This is not the time to make final judgment or to administer final discipline, rather, simply focus on diffusing the initial situation. Once the parties have calmed down there will be an opportunity to thoroughly review options for resolution. Intervention often sets the tone for how the situation will be resolved, and thus, it must be handled very carefully. Most employers should have some type of Employee Assistance Program (EAP) in place, which they can refer employees to. Depending on the situation, having an empathetic attitude while clearly informing an employee that violence will not be tolerated is one of the best ways to approach intervention.

Lastly, as an employer, be prepared to be involved and respond to each workplace violence situation. Although some acts of violence can be prevented, there is no way to guarantee against a violent incident. It is for this reason that employers need to be prepared to respond in such a way as to contain the harm, protect lives and property, prevent panic and take control of the situation as quickly as possible. Coincidently, every company and each department should have an established system or procedure to notify all personnel of a dangerous situation or incident in case they need to be evacuated from the building quickly. Of course, good judgment is key. Do not attempt to handle a violent situation yourself and dial 911 immediately!

Employment Screening- Can it Help You Avoid Hiring A Lousy Employee?

Hiring lousy employees can be one of the most significant mistake an employer can ever do. This can place the company’s name and reputation at risk and put the your life and those of your other employees in danger.

There are many things you can do to avoid having bad employees get into your company. But possibly the most effective one is by conducting an intensive employment background search. A background check will be able to provide information regarding an applicant’s personal data, criminal records, driving records, medical records, educational background, employment history, military records, licenses, character references and many others.

This not only helps you steer clear of people who have undergone resume falsification by confirming the information mentioned in the resume, but more importantly this helps you avoid employees who had been involved in cases like fraud, stealing, sexual abuse or violent behavior.

Consider hiring a person whom did not know has a historical past of violent behavior. One day you find out about it after he physically injured one of your customers. This customer then sues your company and affects your company’s reputation negatively. An employment background search will help youprevent such scenarios.

Another way you can avoid bad employees is by doing some investigations on your own. For one, you can contact the applicant’s previous employers so you will get to know the kind of overall performance he had for his previous employer. Just be careful of false references who are people paid to pretend as employer references.

You can also conserve yourself from all the problems that a bad employee may inflict by having an employee in the applicants’ waiting room pose as a fellow applicant. This employee will say unfavorable things about the employer or say things like, “I really don’t plan to stay long in this company.” How the applicantsreact and comments will give you an idea on the kind of employee they will be when they get into your company.

Workplace Bullying is Getting Attention

States are now looking at passing a bill that is called, “Healthy Workplace Bill”, which protects employees from workplace bullying. It was created in California in 2003 and has gained momentum in 19 other states over the years. Recently Maryland has proposed similar legislation, though none have passed it into law.

To read more about this new bill go here.

Free Workplace Violence Prevention Webinar, October 13th — Presented by Accuscreen

AccuScreen’s free webinar, “Workplace Violence Awareness & Prevention: Separating the Myths from the Facts — Solutions to Make You Fear Less,” will take place on Wednesday, October 13th, 2010.

TAMPA, FL — Human resources professionals, employers, and task force leaders are invited to attend Accuscreen’s free webinar, ‘Workplace Violence Awareness & Prevention: Separating the Myths from the Facts — Solutions to Make You Fear Less.’

“To remain on top in today’s business world, Human Resource & Security Professionals need to balance Workplace Violence Awareness with Prevention Programs focused on best practices,” said Kevin Connell, professional background screening expert and CEO of the online employment screening service, AccuScreen.

“This webinar will discuss the key risk indicators that provide early warning and escalation triggers, as well as explore techniques that can be used to build Workplace Violence awareness and Prevention Techniques into their corporate plan to fulfill prevention and detection responsibilities.”

By the conclusion of the webinar, participants will:

• Understand how, through better awareness, companies can be empowered to detect and prevent Workplace Violence

• Become familiar with the best practices for the effective use of Workplace Violence Awareness and Prevention

• Learn a range of examples and stories that separate the Myths from the Facts of Workplace Violence

The webinar is Free of charge to attend on Wednesday, October 13th, 2010 at 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Those who cannot attend can purchase the replay of the Workplace Violence Webinar for $49.97 beginning October 14th, 2010.

Seats are limited and attendees are encouraged to register early to ensure they don’t miss this one-time only free webinar.

Attendees can register online at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/911232898

Workplace Violence: Zero Tolerance

According to The USDA Handbook on Workplace Violence Prevention and Response, “a sound prevention plan is the most important and, in the long run, the least costly portion of any agency’s workplace violence program.” This statement is underscored by the fact that workplace violence costs employers more than $120 billion every year. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) estimates that “nonfatal workplace assaults alone result in more than 876,000 lost workdays and $16 million in lost wages.”

A “sound” workplace violence prevention plan should be available to everyone within an organization, including:
• Employees
• Managers and Supervisors
• Agency Heads
• Human Resources Staff
• Employee Assistance Program Counselors
• Unions/Employee Organizations
• Security/Facilities Staff
• Law Enforcement Staff
• Conflict Resolution Offices

Workplace Violence is Everyone’s Responsibility
Workplace violence policies have to begin from the top down. Management must designate who is responsible for creating the plan, and they must follow up to ensure that a solid plan is discussed, formatted, and implemented so that everyone within an organization is aware of what to do in regard to the issues that surround workplace violence. First and foremost, workplace violence plans must include a zero-tolerance policy.

The following components should be part of any sound workplace violence prevention policy:
• A policy statement – zero tolerance, in most cases; the policy should address the organization’s position on workplace violence, identify the scope of the policy, and state the consequences for incidents of workplace violence.
• Pre-employment screening – a key component in workplace violence prevention, pre-employment screening can weed out potential perpetrators before violence occurs.
• Education and training – all employees should be educated about what workplace violence means and how to deal with incidents should they occur.
• Workplace dispute resolution – helpful in preventing workplace violence, dispute resolution may defuse personal issues before they lead to violence.
• Security – security teams are key to identifying and responding to immediate threats.
• Threat assessment – a team of individuals should be assigned the task of evaluating the vulnerability of the workplace and suggest ways to prevent workplace violence.
• Incident prevention, investigation, and record keeping – workplace violence should be thoroughly documented; even “minor” incidents should be investigated.

Although a sound workplace violence prevention plan may contain some or all of these components, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s statement that “pre-employment screening is an important part of workplace violence prevention,” should be a key factor in deciding what to include in your plan.

Workplace Violence: High Risk Jobs

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), nearly 2 million people are the victims of workplace violence each year. Workplace ranges from simple assaults to aggravated assaults. Even though police officers, corrections officers, and taxi drivers are at the highest risk of becoming victims of workplace violence, research indicates that, in general, anyone working in a position in which they handle cash or other valuable items or provide service to the public as a clientele and have direct contact with service recipients is at risk. Such occupations include (in the order of greatest risk):

• Law enforcement officers 
• Corrections officers
• Taxicab drivers 
• Bartenders
• Mental health custodians
• Special education teachers
• Gas station attendants 
• Mental health professionals 
• Junior high school teachers
• Convenience store workers
• Bus drivers  
• High school teachers 
• Nurses  
• Physicians 
• All workers
• College teachers 

Foreseeable and Preventable
Interestingly, about 75% of all workplace violence is committed by unarmed offenders. And, a 2001 report entitled Workplace Violence: A report to the nation, published by the University of Iowa, indicates that many of the factors that lead to workplace violence are “foreseeable and preventable.”

These same studies indicate that worker-on-worker violence accounts for nearly 10% of all workplace violence. And, although such violent episodes can neither be completely predicted nor prevented, many can.

Although, making sure that your business has solid workplace-violence education and response policies in place, employment screening can go a long way toward preventing workplace violence before it happens. The value of these screenings can literally be measured in lives. Weeding out potential violent workers before they have an opportunity to act – before they are hired – is one way to make workplaces safer.

Screening potential employees for such factors as work history, criminal backgrounds, references, drug and alcohol use, etc. can render “foreseeable and preventable” workplace violence a thing of the past. With the expense of workplace violence running about five times more than prevention, it also makes fiscal sense to screen.

Workplace Violence in a Recession

The 2008 article From the Editor-in-Chief’s Desk: The “Workplace-During-Recession” Reminding Us of Employee Rights and Responsibilities, published by Margaret H. Vickers in the Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal states that “many workplaces take on a subtle but definite shift in identity when the R-word (recession) is on the horizon.  However, the outcome of this identity additive is less than subtle.  For workers who are marginalized for any reason… it’s a time to be nervous.”  Workers at the margins, those most likely to be affected by recession, are also the most likely to “snap” a work.

There are three primary pressures that may increase anxiety for workers during a recession:

• Job losses
• Job uncertainty
• Slashed budgets

These factors are often in addition to personal issues employees often face such as financial or relationship worries.

Reason to Worry
Experts indicate that there is reason to worry.  Most perpetrators of workplace violence seem completely “normal” before an incident.  But, fear can be a powerful persuader – fear of losing a job, not being able to make financial ends meet, and the intense pressure that can be put on personal and work relationships when so many worries pile up – make recessions a contributing factor for workplace violence.

The Catch-22
Because recession often forces an organization to cut costs, many elect to forgo thorough pre-employment screening and/or continued employment screening.  Right when the need is most pressing, many companies remove one of the most important barriers to workplace violence.  Although it’s not entirely necessary to step up screening during a recession, it’s never advisable to reduce or eliminate the practice.

According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, “pre-employment screening is an important part of workplace violence prevention.”  Recession, which promotes an environment of increased worker stress, is a major contributing factor to workplace violence.  Companies that have a sound pre-employment screening plan in place, in addition to education and response policies, may experience less violence than workplaces that don’t screen workers.

Webinar: Friday August 13, 2010 – Workplace Violence in the 21st Century

Webinar: Workplace Violence in the 21st Century – 2:00 PM Eastern 11:00 Pacific

Tampa, Fl., August 11, 2010—In the wake of the beer distributorship shooting and tragic loss of life in Manchester, CT on August 3rd, many Human Resource professionals and business leaders are taking a fresh look at their policies and procedures that address workplace violence. A new webinar, “Workplace Violence in the 21st Century: Top 10 Lessons Learned,” offers employers and HR professionals an opportunity to learn from and ask questions of two experts who have worked on the prevention of workplace violence for decades. The webinar will take place on Friday, August 13, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT.

Individuals can register for this free webinar at: http://www.accuscreen.com/media/webinars

Hosted by AccuScreen Inc., an industry pioneer, leader and expert in employment background screening, the webinar will feature founder and CEO Kevin Connell interviewing Barry Nixon, the executive director of the National Institute for Prevention of Workplace Violence, Inc., a company focused on assisting organizations to effectively implement programs to prevent workplace violence. Connell, also an expert on the subject of workplace violence and on background checks, promises a content-packed discussion.

The webinar will address the issue of workplace violence, the warning signs to look out for, and why no company no matter how large or small is immune. Most importantly, Connell and Nixon will speak about ways to prevent workplace violence from happening in the first place.

Adds CEO Connell of AccuScreen, “we will address not only why workplace violence has been on the rise, but also dispel the different myths that are out there such as the ‘disgruntled worker just snapped.’”

Connell and Nixon will reserve time on the webinar for questions. They encourage participants to bring questions that they may have about workplace violence.

About Accu-Screen Inc.
Since 1994, Accu-Screen, Inc. has been an industry pioneer, leader and expert in employment background screening, tenant screening, nanny screening and date screening, specializing in criminal background checks. Its reports are delivered to companies across the world with turnaround times from Instant to no more than 72 hours. CEO Kevin G. Connell founded the company with a burning desire that companies hire the right people from the start, resulting in greater cost control and better safety in the workplace. Mr. Connell served as a Founding Director of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS), and he is a frequent Radio and Television Guest, appearing on ABC and Fox. Kevin also serves as a national speaker and expert in negligent hiring, resume fraud, employee theft, and embezzlement. Accu-Screen, Inc. is a C.A.U.S.E. Certified Background Screening Company.

About Kevin Connell
Kevin Connell has over 15 years experience as CEO & Founder of AccuScreen.com, a Global Background Screening Company, specializing in Criminal Background Checks. Mr. Connell was one of the founding Directors of the National Association of Background Screeners (www.napbs.com); he is an internationally-known expert on Background Checks, Occupational Fraud and Embezzlement, as well as a speaker, published author who has appeared on over 73 Television and Radio shows including Fox News and ABC’s Money Matters.

About Barry Nixon
W. Barry Nixon is the Executive Director of the National Institute for Prevention of Workplace Violence, Inc., a company focused on assisting organizations to effectively implement programs to prevent workplace violence. Having spent over twenty years in Human Resources and Organization Development in Fortune 500 companies. Mr. Nixon is well grounded in the real issues companies face and develops practical solutions based on having been there. Mr. Nixon is a frequently requested speaker both in the US and internationally on the subject of Workplace Violence and Background Screening.

Angry Employee Turns to Workplace Violence

Workplace Violence Became Deadly in Connecticut at a Local Warehouse

A warehouse driver became violent when asked to resign from his job. He was working at a beer distributor, refused to be let go and then opened fire Tuesday morning. Police said the gunman and several other people were killed and others were wounded, one critically.

The authorities are still searching the building to make sure everyone is accounted for before confirming the number of deaths, state police Lt. J. Paul Vance said.

Michaela Donnelly, spokeswoman said that at least one person has died at Hartford Hospital and another victim taken there was in critical condition and another in fair condition.

There were about 50 to 70 people in the warehouse at the time of the shooting. Adding to the chaos was a fire at the warehouse, which is about 10 miles east of Hartford that has been put out.

The gunman was a driver who had worked at the distributor for a couple of years and been called in for a disciplinary hearing, said John Hollis of the Connecticut Teamsters, who was with company officials at the scene of the shooting.

Police and fire vehicles, from numerous agencies, surrounded the warehouse on a tree-lined road in an industrial park just west of a shopping mall. A SWAT team with a police dog was walking around the property a couple of hours after the 7 a.m. shooting.

The Myth of the FBI and America’s Most Wanted: Criminals Are Getting Away with Murder by Moving to Another State

Fleeing fugitives are a growing risk in America

Recent news stories have reported that millions of criminals are escaping justice in America, and overworked police departments are doing little to pursue them. According to a recent investigative series in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, between 1.9 and 2.7 million felony fugitives (including rapists and murderers) have eluded capture by crossing state lines.

Post-Dispatch reporters found a persistent problem with outstanding warrants across the country. If local or county police departments don’t enter all their warrants in the FBI database, fugitives not listed in the database can escape detection for their prior crimes.

Accu-Screen, a leader in employment background screening, frequently uncovers job candidates with criminal records or fraudulent credentials when it conducts background searches for employers.

“It’s alarming that so many criminals get away with their crimes and go on to victimize new people in another state,” says Kevin Connell, chief executive officer and founder of Accu-Screen. “Most people have a false sense of security about their own safety. But what you don’t know could make you the next victim.”

Connell believes employers must educate themselves about this issue. Companies that unknowingly hire felons or fugitives put themselves at increased risk of embezzlement, fraud, lawsuits and workplace violence. Individuals should also be alert to the possibility that a fugitive criminal may be hiding in their neighborhood or in their workplace.

Key facts about this national crisis include:

* Organizers of Philadelphia’s “Fugitive Safe Surrender” program were astonished when 1205 felons turned themselves in at a local church in mid-September. The program was designed to encourage non-violent fugitives to settle their outstanding warrants.

* More than one third of all felony warrants are not entered into the FBI’s National Crime Information Center database checked by police across the country.

* Local police often refuse to pick up fugitives from other states, even when they’re wanted for violent crimes.
* The Senate Judiciary Committee recently passed the Biden/Durbin “Fugitive Information Networked Database Act of 2008”. This legislation aims to improve the identification, apprehension and extradition of felony fugitives.

“I support the Senate’s efforts to raise public awareness of this dangerous threat,” Connell says.

“I also want to get the word out to employers,” he continues. “Corporations and hiring managers that engage employment screening experts can dramatically reduce their risk of hiring an employee with a hidden criminal record.”

Felons Who Cross State Lines Pose Hiring Threat, says AccuScreen

Fleeing fugitives are a growing risk in America.

Tampa, FL October 20, 2008 — According to a recent investigative series in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, between 1.9 and 2.7 million felony fugitives (including rapists and murderers) have eluded capture by crossing state lines.

Companies that unknowingly hire felons or fugitives put themselves at increased risk of embezzlement, fraud, lawsuits and workplace violence. Employers should be alert to the possibility that a fugitive criminal may be hiding in their workplace.

AccuScreen, Inc., a leader in employment background screening, frequently uncovers job candidates with criminal records or fraudulent credentials when it conducts background searches for employers. AccuScreen has a large network of field agents working across the nation to retrieve criminal record information at the local, county and state level, as opposed to relying on database searches.

Post-Dispatch reporters found a persistent problem with outstanding warrants across the country. If local or county police departments don’t enter all their warrants in the FBI database, fugitives not listed in the database can escape detection for their prior crimes.

“It’s alarming that so many criminals get away with their crimes and go on to victimize new people in another state,” says Kevin Connell, chief executive officer and founder of AccuScreen. “Our on-the-ground criminal background searches result in a more accurate ‘criminal hit ratio,’ which prevents these law-breakers from endangering companies.”

Key facts about this national crisis include:

• A statewide dragnet across Florida last month dubbed “Operation Orange Crush” led to the arrest of 2497 fugitives, including those of 113 homicide suspects, 255 sex offenders and 55 gang members. The U.S. Marshalls-led sweep targeted the “worst of the worst” offenders. According to the Post Dispatch report, 35 % of Felony Warrants in Florida are not entered into the FBI Database.
• Organizers of Philadelphia’s “Fugitive Safe Surrender” program were astonished when 1205 felons turned themselves in at a local church in mid-September. The program was designed to encourage non-violent fugitives to settle their outstanding warrants.
• More than one third of all felony warrants are not entered into the FBI’s National Crime Information Center database checked by police across the country.
• Local police often refuse to pick up fugitives from other states, even when they’re wanted for violent crimes.

“Corporations and hiring managers that engage employment screening experts can dramatically reduce their risk of hiring an employee with a hidden criminal record,” said Connell. “AccuScreen’s in-depth criminal background screening services can give employers that additional peace of mind.” AccuScreen has created a complimentary white paper, “Felons Who Cross State Lines Pose A Hiring Threat,” so that hiring professionals may get additional information on this important topic. To view the report or to download a copy, visit AccuScreen at http://www.accuscreen.com/.

About AccuScreen, Inc.

Since 1994, AccuScreen, Inc, has been an industry pioneer, leader and expert in employment background screening, specializing in criminal background checks. Its reports are delivered to companies across the world in 24-72 hours. CEO Kevin G. Connell founded the company with a burning desire that companies hire the right people from the start, resulting in greater cost control and better safety in the workplace. Mr. Connell also serves as a national speaker and expert in negligent hiring, resume fraud, employee theft, and embezzlement.