How to Prevent Workplace Violence During Termination
Terminating employees is one of the most stressful and unpleasant aspects of doing business, but necessary for continuing the success of your company. Often an employee being terminated won’t expect it and can turn violent or aggressive due to a surge in emotions. They can act out through threats, verbal abuse or physical assaults on you or even other employees. Although we hope situations like this don’t arise, it’s an unfortunate truth that must be managed properly so you can protect yourself and your workplace.
Job loss has been cited by employers of all sizes as one of the top three factors that contribute to instances of workplace violence and has become the highest risk for management and human resources professionals today. Unfortunately the threat of workplace violence is only increasing. So, how do you keep your business safe and handle this risk during termination? Prevention.
Prevention is the surest way of stopping a problem before it starts, which is why it’s crucial for any business to develop a termination plan including security personnel for when the need arises. Having the presence of trained security staff during a termination meeting or afterwards to escort an employee from the premises is an exceptional deterrent for violence and a smart precaution. Professional guards are trained to look for suspicious activity and can spot an aggressive situation before it gets out of hand. They are trained in protection techniques in order to reduce the potential threat of workplace violence and reduce potential liability to your business.
Professional, respectful and trained security agents are worth the investment – no matter the size of your organization. One violent employee can cost your business millions. The Department of Justice estimated that the cost of workplace violence to employers was approximately $6.2 million dollars, which can include the aggravation of lawsuits, compensation claims and loss of productivity. It also puts your company under the spotlight for being unsafe and irresponsible. However, most workplace violence is preventable by simply having security efforts in place.
No one is immune to workplace violence, which is why it’s paramount to secure your workplace. Lower the risk of a high risk employee before it turns ugly, and hire trained and certified security agents. You’ll gain peace of mind in knowing that if an unpleasant situation does occur, you have someone there protecting you and your business.
