Prevent Workplace Violence. Pt 3. Patients, Clients & Other Invitees

91% of small and mid-sized business owners believe workplace violence can happen to any business in any type of sector.

BUT, workplace violence is PREVENTABLE.

In this post, about our 3rd video in our 5 part video series on workplace violence prevention, we discuss how to prevent workplace violence from "Invitees". People who are at your work location as patients, clients, customers, vendors, the general public, and even family members of your staff.

So here's the problem..."hardening" your facility doesn't prevent workplace violence from invitees.

Because these people are there at YOUR invitation. Regardless of the type of controlled access your workplace has, you invited them through that access control into the heart of your workplace. Right where your staff are.

So here is what does work to help prevent workplace violence by invitees:

• Organizing internal layouts including exam rooms, offices, conference rooms, and front desk reception areas so that the invitee is not positioned between staff and the door. This prevents your staff from being trapped. Instead of being placed opposite from the door, which most people do, desks can be placed so they run along one side of the room. So if staff is seated at the desk, and a person is seated in front of the desk, the staff person still has a direct unimpeded pathway to the door.
• The buddy system. Creating policies, and training staff in having a second person assisting staff when an invitee becomes angry or aggressive. For example, if you're a lawyer conducting a deposition of a defendant at your law firm, and the person being deposed becomes agitated so his counsel suggests a break. Instead of your team remaining in the break room when the defendant and his lawyer step out, at least two of you should step out too. If he needs to use the restroom, two of you can offer to show him where the restroom is located. That way there are two people nearby, which reduces the risk of an attack.
• Improving communication methods with front desk staff. Front desk should be able to alert, in an innocuous way, when someone is becoming troublesome. For example a wireless doorbell system that rings or flashes a light in the back where a supervisor can be alerted. One press can mean please come up front. Multiple presses can mean call 911. The same approach can be taken by implementing a "code word" (or phrase). That sounds innocuous when spoken, but is meant to say I need help now! For example, the front desk person can buzz on the intercom and say "is Jim still on vacation?" when starting the conversation.

These are just a few of the ways that you can help to protect your staff and business from invitee workplace violence. The video has many more approaches that you can implement.

The next video in the series focuses on preventing workplace violence to your staff when they are working out in the community, at a client's home, at another business location, or even out walking in a parking lot.

If you're ready to start protecting your staff, your organization, and your bottom line, download my FREE workplace violence prevention checklist. It's chockfull of steps you can start implementing immediately.