Workplace Violence Prevention – HR needs to catch up

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, “nearly half of HR professionals say their organization has experienced a workplace violence incident at some point…” In 2012, 36% reported workplace violence incidents.

In the Active Shooter 360 3D Workplace Violence Prevention Manual and Toolkit, we emphasize that HR should be a key player in workplace violence and response. Multiple sources agree with our posture. However, we now question our assumption that HR entities have training, expertise, and experience in workplace violence prevention. 

Most employers do not have a plan in place. Further, SHRM reported that one-third of organizations do not provide workplace violence training. Admittedly, a comprehensive workplace violence prevention program may be a long reach for some HR staffs. That’s why AS360 developed a Toolkit that provides a framework with action templates.  

We skimmed HR course offerings from three Florida universities, and did not find a curriculum that addressed the role of workplace violence prevention. Admittedly, our cursory analysis is not academically defendable, but we question how prepared nascent HR professionals are for addressing violence in the 21stcentury world.

Key Takeaway: HR professionals should be at the tip of the spear regarding workplace violence prevention, which means HR players must continually hone their skillsets. In addition, HR must lead a concentrated effort to develop and maintain senior and midlevel management buy-in.

What are your thoughts?

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About Hank Christen

Dr. Hank Christen was an Atlanta Fire Department Battalion Chief, Emergency Manager, and Director of Emergency Services for Okaloosa County, Florida. He has responded to multiple disasters in his career and was the Incident Commander for Hurricane Erin, Opal, Earl, and Georges, and responded to Hurricane Andrew (Miami), and Hurricane Marilyn (U.S. Virgin Islands). He co-authored eight books on crisis management and the incident command system in the disaster response field. Dr. Christen has served on a team that evaluated a biological non-traditional syndromic surveillance program during the 2000 George Bush Presidential Inauguration. Dr. Christen has also responded with a Disaster Medical Assistance Team (FL-1 DMAT) to the 2001 World Trade Center Attack, and served as team commander during the team’s deployment to the Atlanta Olympic Bombing. Additionally. Dr. Christen has served on a panel that evaluated the medical response to the Boston Marathon Bombing in 2014. Dr. Hank Christen EdD currently is responsible for developing curriculum, technical writing, and instructing courses with Active Shooter 360, LLC. The materials developed and taught by Dr. Christen include Active Shooter Awareness, Threat Intervention Practices, Incident Command System (ICS), Crisis Decision Making, and Emergency Operations Planning.

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