8 Tips On How Employers Can Minimize Risk Of Workplace Violence
January 22, 2010
I just read an excellent article from the The Houston Chronicle entitled “Employers can minimize risk of workplace violence.”
The author stresses these important points:
“While violence cannot always be anticipated, this does not relieve employers of their obligation to provide a safe workplace. First, federal law requires it. With the Department of Labor adding investigators and stepping up workplace safety enforcement, compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations should be a management priority. Second, workers compensation insurance provides Texas employers only limited protection against liability from the inevitable lawsuits following a workplace tragedy.”
Here are the the 8 Tips On How Employers Can Minimize Risk Of Workplace Violence from the article:
- Accept reality: The recent shootings reinforce the fact that the risk of workplace violence is omnipresent. Employers must be proactive to prevent or minimize exposure to such incidents.
- Use effective pre-employment documents and conduct background checks: An effective application coupled with valid legal releases and disclaimers provide key information on the applicant. Employers should conduct background investigations to discover prior convictions, litigation history, motor vehicle records, employment references, credit history, education records and other relevant background information concerning the applicant.
- Establish policies on workplace violence: Employers should establish a written zero-tolerance position on violence, threats or abusive language and make clear that any violation of these rules can be grounds for termination. A workplace violence policy should also include a procedure to confidentially report threats.
- Conduct substance-abuse testing: Private employers should test all applicants and employees for substance abuse to the extent allowed by law. Negative test results should be a condition of employment.
- Develop procedures for investigating threats: These procedures should include specific guidelines for conducting an investigation and interviewing witnesses and the individual who allegedly made the threat. To the extent necessary, employers should retain security consultants, psychologists, attorneys or other professionals for advice on how to handle threats quickly, effectively and legally.
- Train supervisors and employees: Supervisors should be instructed to identify violence risks and report all threats to management immediately. Supervisors should be trained in conflict resolution, stress management, managing change in the workplace and recognizing the early warning signs of violent employees. They should also be trained to be sensitive to the fact that seemingly small issues can suddenly escalate into workplace problems. Employees should be trained regarding their responsibility to report threats or violence.
- Implement an employee assistance program: EAPs can help employees who are having a difficult time handling stress in their lives.
- Audit and improve security measures: Employers should establish a relationship with local law enforcement officials and a security consultant. Employers should also conduct an audit to determine areas of vulnerability and/or procedural weaknesses. Basic systems for protecting property, such as lighting, pass keys or cards, intercoms, employee identification, surveillance or alarm equipment and other systems or devices should be considered.
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Best Employee Screening Articles For August & September 2009
October 1, 2009
In case you missed any of our employee screening articles for August and September, here’s a quick recap of our most popular:
- Recruiters Are Checking You Out On Facebook
- Top 10 Articles On Employee Screening
- The Secret of Successful Hiring
- Truth and Lies On Resumes
- More Background Checks
- Sex Offenders In Ohio
- Florida’s Flawed Background Screening System
- The Pros & Cons of Googling Candidates
Smart, Compliant Hiring Decisions Made Easy
FYI Screening, Inc. is a leading provider of on-demand, easy to use employee screening solutions.
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More Background Checks
September 25, 2009
It’s not everyday that I see a headline like this in our local newspaper, The Columbus Dispatch.
Last night the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities voted to require background checks every three years on all their employees. Previously, background checks were conducted upon hiring and the county relied on the honor system for employees to report any offense after that.
This is a good reminder that your organization should have a Post-Hire Screening Program in place.
A Post-Hire Screening Program (also called recurring screening) is considered a best practice for employers. It ensures a safe workplace and helps reduce the risk of a negligent retention lawsuit. Conducting checks on all new hires is essential. Keep in mind, that a lot can happen in the years after a new hire comes aboard. Companies should consider protecting themselves with periodic post-hire criminal checks and drug screening.
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- The Importance Of Post-Hire Background Checks
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New Employee Screening Trend -Second Chance For Ex-Offenders
June 17, 2009
There is a growing trend in employment screening that places more responsibility on employers to analyze a past criminal record to determine whether there is a business justification not to hire a person.
From The Columbus Dispatch:
Schools Could Hire Former Criminals
Custodians, bus drivers, secretaries and cafeteria workers could work in schools even with a past drug or theft conviction under a new rule being considered by the State Board of Education.
Committing a sex crime, kidnapping and murder still would prevent someone from working in a school. But some people who have committed nonviolent crimes — including robbery, cultivating marijuana or drug trafficking — could show they have been “rehabilitated” under the proposed rule.
The proposal would allow people with those less-serious convictions that occurred well in the past — ranging from five to 20 years, depending on the type of crime — work in a school if they can show evidence that they have walked the straight and narrow since. It would apply to new applicants and current employees.
Read the article here.
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June 8, 2009
Employee Screening Articles For October
October 31, 2008
In case you missed any of our employee screening articles for October, here’s a quick recap:
Sex Offenders and Halloween Safety Tips- Part 2
Sex Offenders and Halloween Safety Tips
Pre-Employment Drug Testing For Teachers
Background Checks For The Education Industry
Background Checks For Temporary Employees
Do You Have a Sex Offender Working For You?
Immigration Crackdown - HR Director Indicted
Drug-Free Work Week
Why Gaps In Employment Are A Red Flag
Hiring For Hotels: Why Screening Is Essential
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Pre-Employment Drug Testing For Teachers
October 27, 2008
New London, Connecticut (WTNH.com) — The arrest of a New London teacher on drug charges(crack cocaine) has parents demanding stricter hiring policies including drug testing.
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Drug-Free Work Week
October 6, 2008
Drug-Free Work Week (October 20-26, 2008) is a dedicated time each year to highlight the benefits that drug-free workplace programs bring to employers, workers and communities. And, it’s a time to work toward making every week a drug-free work week!
It spreads the word that working drug free works to…
- Prevent accidents and make workplaces safer
- Improve productivity and reduce costs
- Encourage people with alcohol and drug problems to seek help
According to recent research, it’s a message that many workers need to hear.
- 75 percent of the nation’s current illegal drug users are employed—and 3.1 percent say they have actually used illegal drugs before or during work hours.
- 79 percent of the nation’s heavy alcohol users are employed—and 7.1 percent say they have actually consumed alcohol during the workday.
Drug-free workplace programs help protect employers and employees alike from the potentially devastating consequences of worker alcohol or drug abuse. Establishing policies, educating about the dangers of alcohol and drug use, deterring and detecting use, and urging people to seek help for alcohol and drug problems are smart safety strategies. They’re also smart business strategies.
Drug-Free Work Week is a time to reinforce the importance of working drug free in positive, proactive ways. To get Drug-Free Work Week resources or learn more about how your organization can participate, select one of the following:
- Drug-Free Work Week Tool Box
- Ideas for Individual Employers and their Employees
- Ideas for Associations and Unions
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Free Drug-Free Workplace Toolkit
Deciding Whether To Drug Screen Employees
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Deciding Whether To Drug Screen Employees
August 26, 2008
As a hiring manager, you may initially feel uncomfortable with the thought of requiring drug tests from job applicants. Some human resources personnel feel that doing so encroaches upon applicants’ privacy. In truth, drug screening prospective hires can protect your company and your employees. Here are a few reasons why you should drug screen job candidates…
Drug Screening Protects Your Business
If you hire an employee who has a history of drug abuse, you could be held partially or fully liable for his actions while on the job. By drug screening applicants, you can eliminate those who have had a drug problem in the past. If something drug-related were to happen in the workplace and an employee is injured, prior drug screening would help insulate your company from a negligent hiring claim.
It Maintains Employees’ Safety
Some jobs require employees to operate machinery or potentially-harmful devices. If an employee who is operating this machinery under the influence of drugs makes a mistake, other workers can be injured. Not only will a drug screen prevent drug abuse in the workplace from endangering your staff in the first place, but it’s often a legal requirement for employers.
Drug Abuse Can Have A Massive Cost
If your workplace or your staff is exposed to an employee with a drug problem, the costs can be enormous. It can lead to employees becoming hurt, expenses related to negligent hiring lawsuits and damage to computers, machinery and other company assets. In some cases, the actions of employees who are under the influence of drugs have resulted in businesses having to close.
Drug screening job candidates plays a key role in finding high-quality employees for your company. Doing so protects your current staff from injury and insulates the workplace from damage and disruption. Finally, it helps shield your company from negligent hiring lawsuits. If you’ve been reluctant to conduct drug screening on new hires, consider the above reasons. The sooner you include it in your employee screening program, the better.
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