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Workplace Violence

How To Reduce The Risk Of Workplace Violence

August 4, 2010 By Chris Miller

workplace_violence_anger

In light of the recent workplace violence in Connecticut, I thought it would be a good idea to share the following articles:

  • 8 Tips On How Employers Can Minimize Risk Of Workplace Violence
  • Violence in the Workplace: A Legal Perspective
  • Workplace Violence: Myths and Mitigation

Protecting Your Staff And Your Company

Preventing workplace violence means protecting your employees from injury and protecting your company from disruption and lawsuits. While it’s impossible to guarantee that an employee will never act violently in the workplace, you can use this information to dramatically lower the likelihood of it happening.

Photo Credit: sindesign

Filed Under: Workplace Violence Tagged With: Workplace Violence

8 Tips On How Employers Can Minimize Risk Of Workplace Violence

January 22, 2010 By Chris Miller

workplace_violence

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. Implement an employee assistance program: EAPs can help employees who are having a difficult time handling stress in their lives.
  8. 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.

Related Posts From FYI Screening:

  • 4 Tips For Preventing Workplace Violence
  • Free Drug-Free Workplace Toolkit
  • 4 Questions Employers Have About Employee Screening

Photo credit: Flickr

Filed Under: Drug Screening, Workplace Violence Tagged With: Drug Screening, Workplace Violence

3 Critical Reasons To Screen Health Care Employees

December 19, 2008 By Chris Miller

Hospitals and health care facilities are in a uniquely vulnerable position. The problems that are associated with making a bad hiring decision are made worse by the fact that lives are at risk every moment. Not only is a hospital’s staff exposed, but patients can literally be defenseless. It’s important that any health care employee undergoes a criminal background check. Pre-employment screening should be done for doctors, nurses, other care providers, and even a hospital’s maintenance team. Plus, the screening should be ongoing for existing staff.

Today, I’ll explain the 3 most important reasons why hospitals and health care facilities must screen candidates before hiring them.

#1 – Danger To Staff

A hospital’s staff is often busy taking care of patients. Time is limited and it’s seldom spent wondering if a co-worker can be trusted or is going to cause physical harm. If an employee is hired with a violent criminal past, the staff is extremely vulnerable. Instruments can be used violently and medications can be used to poison others.

These things have happened in the past. They’ll happen again in the future. Health care employers must minimize the risk by performing comprehensive background checks on all applicants.

#2 – Danger To Patients

A prospective employee who has been convicted of a violent or drug-related crime is particularly unsuitable for a job that places him in close proximity to patients. Their immediate access to those who are helpless exposes both the patients and the hospital to enormous risk. Hospitals and other health care providers must screen both prospective hires and existing employees to manage this risk.

#3 – Potential Lawsuits

A negligent hiring lawsuit can be expensive. If a patient or staff member suffers physically as a result of insufficient pre-employment screening, they can sue the hospital for negligent hiring. It’s not uncommon for the courts to award compensation in the millions of dollars to victims of workplace violence.

Background Checks To Minimize Hiring Risk

Every business should screen applicants and conduct background checks. Health care employers, in particular, must be diligent with the screening process in order to protect their staff and patients from harm. By searching for past criminal records, verifying past employment and licenses, and clarifying any gaps in work history, they can avoid making a disastrous hiring decision. The alternative is exposing the staff, patients, and the hospital to a hiring catastrophe.

Photo Credit: José Goulão

Filed Under: 2009 Best Employee Screening Posts, 2010 Best Employee Screening Posts, Employee Screening, employment background checks, Legal Compliance, Negligent Hiring Tagged With: Health Care, Negligent Hiring, Negligent Hiring Lawsuits, Workplace Violence

4 Common Lies Told By Job Candidates

November 7, 2008 By Chris Miller

Recent estimates suggest that over 50% of job applicants lie on their resumes. And when asked, nearly 70% of college graduates claim they would consider lying in order to get a job. For employers, this should be a major concern. At best, hiring an employee who lied on her resume wastes valuable time and resources. At worst, it can lead to workplace violence, theft, and negligent hiring lawsuits.

As applicants become increasingly comfortable with lying to potential employers, screening and background checks have never been more important. Today, I’ll expose 4 of the most common lies told by job candidates.

Lie #1: “Yes, I Earned That Degree”

Applicants lie about the degrees they’ve earned all the time. In some cases, they may have attended the school, but never finished their coursework. In other cases, they may have never attended the school in the first place. It’s a common lie because employers often fail to verify the information.

Lie #2: “I Don’t Have A Criminal Record”

Sometimes, applicants will lie outright about their criminal past. Other times, they’ll change small details such as how their name is spelled, the date they were born, or the cities in which they’ve lived. This can be a major hiring issue and employers need to carefully validate what they’re being told.

Lie #3: “I’ve Been Steadily Employed”

A lot of applicants realize that a gap in their employment history raises eyebrows. From an employer’s perspective, the gap may imply that the applicant spent in prison. So, candidates will lie about it, disguising gaps by changing dates or even creating jobs from thin air.

Lie #4: “My Salary At My Previous Job Was…”

Potential hires often inflate their salaries to give them more leverage over future salary negotiations. Offering a compensation package based upon misleading salary information can cost an employer tens of thousands of dollars.

Finding The Truth

Hiring an employee who has lied on their resume or application has become a significant problem for employers. But, the lies can be easily exposed by your hiring staff or an employee screening service. By doing extensive background checks on applicants, you can discover the truth. And that can make your business less vulnerable to a bad hire.

Subscribe to our blog so you don’t miss any helpful tips and articles like this one.

Tags: Workplace Violence,  Negligent Hiring Lawsuits, Gaps in Employment, Employment Background Checks

Photo Credit: ktylerconk

Filed Under: 2008 Best Employee Screening Posts, employment background checks, Negligent Hiring, Resume Fraud, Workplace Violence Tagged With: Background Check, Gaps in Employment, Negligent Hiring Lawsuits, Resume Fraud, Workplace Violence

Employee Screening Articles For October

October 31, 2008 By Chris Miller

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

$100 Million For E-Verify

Hiring For Hotels: Why Screening Is Essential

Subscribe to our blog so you don’t miss any helpful tips and articles like these.

Filed Under: 2008 Best Employee Screening Posts, 2010 Best Employee Screening Posts, Background Checks, Best Practices For Employee Screening, Drug-Free Workplace, Employee Screening, Employee Screening Tips, employment background checks, Job Search, Negligent Hiring, Sex Offenders, Workplace Violence Tagged With: Background Check, Credit Report, Credit Reports, Drug Screening, Drug-Free Workplace, E-Verify, Education Background Checks, Education Screening, Employee Screening, Employee Theft, employment background checks, Form I-9, Gaps in Employment, Hotel Security, Immigration, Negligent Hiring, Negligent Hiring Lawsuits, Pre-Employment Screening, Sex Offender, Sex Offenders, Temp Workers, Vendor Background Checks, Workplace Violence

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