Gregory (Greg) Keating and Sharon C. Peters, Members of the Firm in the Employment, Labor & Workforce Management and Health Care & Life Sciences practices, respectively, co-authored Chapter 4, “Workplace Violence,” in the NAVEX Navigator Series’ Top 10 Trends in Risk and Compliance. Denise Merna Dadika, Member of the Firm in the Employment, Labor & Workforce Management practice, also contributed to the chapter.
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Following is an excerpt:
Protecting a workforce from workplace violence presents complicated challenges for employers. Workplace violence incidents can emanate from myriad sources: a stranger, a customer, patient, or a co-worker, and can range from an active shooter to verbal threats from a disgruntled customer. While not every incident can be prevented, there are steps employers can take that can mitigate the consequences, which can be significant. The effects of unaddressed workplace violence can include negative public perception, poor employee retention, citations from federal or state agencies, and potential liability.
While headlines highlight the concern in certain industries, such as the healthcare and retail industries, all employers should take note. Violence at a work site cannot always be prevented, but the risks can be lessened through a key formula: Compliance, Prevention and Response.
Although the main focus of this article is the position in the U.S., we also take a brief look at similar new rules in the UK on protecting staff from sexual harassment at work.