Employers Should Predict the Likelihood of Workplace Violence
by Laurel Hyatt
Canadian employers,
especially those in Quebec, should study data from the use of employee assistance programs (EAPs) to predict the likelihood of workplace violence, an EAP provider recommends.
According to a study by Warren Shepell Consultants Corp. of some of its clients, a higher number of employees suffering from serious mental health issues is directly linked to higher incidents of work-related trauma, including violence, harassment, and conflict. Personal problems such as anger, grief, marital and family problems, and addictions (such as alcohol, gambling, or smoking) can also create a “toxic workplace” that may turn violent, the consultants say.
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Rod Phillips
Warren Shepell
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The study found that if more employees requested EAP counselling for various problems, such as mental health problems or workplace issues such as performance or workplace harassment, there tended to be more incidents of counsellors being called in to deal with workplace trauma. “This tells us that an organization’s leaders don’t have to wait until an incident of violence occurs—or a claim of psychological harassment is made—to take action,” says Rod Phillips, president and CEO of Warren Shepell Consultants Corp.
One-third of the trauma cases that Warren Shepell responds to are related to workplace violence, aggression, and harassment. “There is an urgent need for employers and human resource professionals to recognize the signs of a violence-prone workplace,” Phillips says. “Canadian employers cannot afford to be complacent about the sources of stress that can fester and lead to toxic workplaces. EAPs can and must do more.”
Quebec employers
This employer responsibility is particularly important in Quebec, where changes to labour standards that take effect on June 1, 2004 will allow employees to make claims against their employer if there is psychological harassment on the job. This legislation defines psychological harassment as “any vexatious behaviour in the form of repeated or unwanted conduct, verbal comments, actions or gestures, that has an effect on an employee’s dignity, psychological or physical integrity and results in a harmful work environment for the employee.” Warren Shepell says it’s the broadest and strongest such legislation to be introduced in North America.
“What this really means is that (Quebec) employers will now be held accountable for preventing the emergence of harmful work environments,” says Gerry Smith, Vice President of Organizational Health at Warren Shepell Consultants. “But even if an employer agrees that preserving the mental well-being of its staff is the right thing to do, or is required by law to do it, the next question is, how? These key findings point us in a clear direction.”
Phillips says that employers get complacent in between publicized incidents of workplace violence, such as the shooting deaths of four employees at Ottawa’s transit system in 1999. “We seem to pay attention to workplace violence in short bursts. In the immediate aftermath of a high-profile workplace shooting, like the OC Transpo incident, we sit up and take notice. But responsible employers know that they have to be concerned with violence and abuse every day. No organization is immune, and you have to have a system in place to see the warning signs early.”
Prevention tips
Warren Shepell has the following advice for employers to try to prevent workplace trauma.
Understand your workplace by viewing data from your EAP to notice patterns in issues that employees seek counselling for.
Offer help to employees for a full range of issues: personal, mental health, addictions, and family problems. Use targeted programs to prevent and deal with incidents of grief, anger, anxiety, marital and relationship problems, depression, and addictions to alcohol, gambling, and smoking.
Reach out to employees on serious mental health and family issues that are underreported.
Conduct a violence risk audit.
Implement management training to raise awareness of workplace violence and provide practical skills.
Make a commitment to developing a culture of wellness.
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