3 Best Practices to Avoid Workplace Violence

Article by: HireRight

A single workplace violence incident can have a devastating impact on the victim(s) as well as his or her employer. The side effects can linger long after the incident, and can have a wide-ranging impact on the employer and its bottom line.

Therefore, it is critical that employers take steps to help prevent the occurrence of workplace violence, and to be prepared should an incident occur.

The Costs of Workplace Violence
According to the findings from the recently released SHRM Survey Findings: Workplace Violence, the primary direct costs to organizations associated with an incident of workplace violence include:

• Management opportunity costs (55%)
• General productivity loss (37%)
• Replacement costs from worker turnover (34%).

In addition, the negative effects and indirect costs of workplace violence on employees in an organization include:

• Decreased morale (29%)
• Perceived decrease in safety (28%)
• Less trust in coworkers (28%)
• Increased levels of stress and depression among workers (24%)

Given the broad impact a single workplace violence incident can have, employers should consider these three best practices when reviewing or developing a workplace violence prevention program.

Read 3 Best Practices here: