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12.01.22 - Violence in the Workplace CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY MANUAL CHAPTER: 12 Risk Management Policy No. 12.01.22 SECTION: 01 Risk Management Policies Page: 1 of 8 SUBJECT: 22 Workplace Violence PURPOSE: The City of Boynton Beach maintains a zero tolerance policy toward workplace violence. It is the intent of the City to provide a workplace free from intimidation, threats, or violent acts. SCOPE: This policy includes City employees, customers, the general public, and or anyone who conducts business with the City. DEFINITIONS: 1. Workplace Violence includes, but is not limited to harassment, threats, physical attack, or property damage. 2. Threat is the expression of intent to cause physical or mental harm or emotional distress regardless of whether the person communicating the threat has the present ability to carry out the threat and regardless of whether the threat is contingent, conditional or future. 3. Physical Attack is intentional, unwanted or hostile physical contact with another person such as hitting, fighting, pushing, shoving, or throwing objects. 4. Property Damage is damage to property, which includes property owned by the City, employees, or others. 5. Potential for Violence is when an individual, through verbal and/or physical actions, creates an environment of fear of threats or physical attack. POLICY: 1. Violence, potential for violence, or the threat of violence, by or against any employee of the City of Boynton Beach is unacceptable and violates City policy, 1 and will subject the perpetrator to serious disciplinary action up to and including termination, and criminal charges. 2. Possession, use, or threat of use, of a weapon, including any type of firearm, is not permitted at work, or on City property, including City vehicle, unless such possession or use of a weapon is a necessary and approved job requirement . 3. Any person who exhibits unusual behavior or makes threats, exhibits potential for violence or threatening behavior, or engages in violent acts on City property shall be removed from the premises as quickly as safety permits, and shall remain off the City’s premises pending the outcome of an investigation. 4. All City personnel are responsible for notifying a supervisor of any threats, which they have witnessed, received, or have been told that another person has witnessed or received. a. Even without an actual threat, personnel should report any behavior they have witnessed which they regard as threatening or violent. b. Failure to notify a supervisor supervisor of such activity will subject the employee to serious disciplinary action up to and including termination, and criminal charges. 5. No employee acting in good faith, who reports real or implied violent behavior will be subject to retaliation or harassment based upon their report. 6. The actions of a supervisor, manager, or other employee will be dependent upon the seriousness of the situation. However, consistent with personal safety, managers and supervisors have a responsibility to make a good faith effort to defuse violent or potentially violent situations as quickly as possible in order to prevent their escalation and creating a threat to others. PROCEDURES: 1. The following steps should be taken when a supervisor, department head, or employee observes an act of violence or potential violence at work. A. In immediate emergency situations…Call 9-1-1. (1) As with any other emergency involving fire, medical incidents, or violence, the first action is to call 9-1-1 and report as many details as possible so that the appropriate emergency response units can be dispatched. (2) It is recommended that individual departments establish a series of “code words” for use by staff to alert supervisors and managers of 2 emergency situations, i.e., physical altercations, weapons threatened, weapons seen, etc. (3) Next step – immediately contact: (a) your immediate supervisor (b) your division/department head (c) the Human Resources and Risk Management Departments (4) The Human Resources Director, or designee, is the Workplace Critical Incident Team Coordinator. The Human Resources Director, or designee, may be contacted at any time and will ensure that resources such as Risk Management, Department Management, Employee Assistance Program, City Attorney, and others as needed, are coordinated in their support and response. (5) Other steps following a critical incident at work will flow from this initial contact including disciplinary action and help from the Employee Assistance Program for employees involved in or witnessing a serious incident. B. In non-emergency situations (1) The guidelines below apply to all City employees and are intended to aid supervisors in dealing with violent or potentially violent situations at work work once an immediate emergency situation has been controlled. (2) Consistent with personal safety, supervisors have a responsibility to make a good faith effort to defuse violent or potentially violent situations as quickly as possible in order to prevent their escalation and creating a threat to others. It is understood that the actions of a supervisor or other employee will be dependent on the seriousness of the situation and the nature of an altercation. (3) The following steps should be taken where applicable or feasible and consistent with personal safety: (a) Separate the people involved. Do not allow a verbal altercation to escalate into something more serious. If the people involved cannot be separated, call 9-1-1 and follow the steps previously described in PROCEDURES. 1.A. (b) Contact the appropriate division/department head, the Human Resources Director and Risk Manager. 3 (c) Once the situation is controlled, separately interview all persons involved, including any witnesses, in order to obtain an accurate account of the incident. Document the statements of witnesses and other interviewed in written form. Interviews may be conducted by division/department supervisors, managers, or directors; the Human Resources Director, or designee, or Risk Manager. (4) If the situation is serious enough that possible termination may be involved and/or the continued presence of an employee at the worksite would not be appropriate, an employee may be immediately suspended with pay and ordered not to return to the worksite until further advised. This action, when necessary, may be taken with the department head concurrence, following consultation with the Human Resources Director, or designee and Risk Manager. DEVELOPED BY: Risk Management EFFECTIVE DATE: January 4, 2001 REVISION DATE: January 26, 2007 REVIEWED-no changes May 27, 2008 Kurt Bressner Kurt Bressner City Manager 4 OFFENDER PROFILE Attachment A The following characteristics, based upon statistical evidence, are some of the similarities that many of the people who have perpetrated acts of violence in the workplace possessed: 1. Male 2. Between 25 – 40 years of age 3 Does not handle stress well (easily frustrated) 4. Chronic complainer at work 5. Dissatisfied at work 6. Socially withdrawn 7. Lacks interpersonal skills 8. Has difficulty in accepting criticism and dealing with those in authority 9. Experiencing marital/family difficulties 10. Fascination with guns/survivalist lifestyle 11. Anti-Management 12. Boasts about “get even” plans 13. Job is the core of his identity 14. Loner at work Red Flags of Caution 1. Impending layoffs, strikes, or any significant job site change (six times more likely than existing employees) 2. Verbal threats 3. Increased stress in the workplace 4. Loud outbursts 5 Attachment – A continued 5. Poor employee-supervisor relationship 6. Bringing weapons on City property to “show to friends” 7. Overt signs of depression and/or substance abuse 8. Withdrawal signs (e.g. change in appearance, taking personal pictures down, reduced communication level) 9. Romantic obsession with a co-worker 10. Increase in tardiness, sick leave, and requests to depart early 11. Employee’s expression of fear toward another employee 12. Employee who suddenly withdraws all funds from City sponsored deferred compensation programs. REFERENCE INFORMATION (Excerpted from presentation by Paul M. Viollis Sr., PhD, “Violence In Our Workplace”). 6 Attachment -B Workplace Violence Incident Report Affected Party(ies): _________________________________________________________________ Supervisor: ___________________ Dept./Div. ____________________ _ Tele. No.____________ INCIDENT INFORMATION Date: ____________ Time: ___________ Location: ________________________________ Description: (Narrative) _________________________________________________ ________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________ Has this or a similar incident ever happened to you before? If so, please explain: ______________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ List all witnesses of the incident: Name: ____________________ ____________________ ___________________ Dept.: ____________________ ____________________ ___________________ Tele. No.: ____________________ ____________________ ___________________ Was a weapon involved? If so, specify whether police were contacted. If so indicate Dept., & Case No.: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ AGGRESSOR INFORMATION Name: ____________________ Dept.: _________________ Tele. No. _________________ Relationship to employee: __________________________________________________________ Has anything occurred in the past to make you feel this would happen? If so, please explain: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Home address/vehicle information if not employee: _______________________________________ FOLLOW-UP INFORMATION Did this incident cause lost work days? If so, how many? ______________________________ __ What action was taken by employer? If so, when and by whom? ________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ __ Have you had counseling since the incident? _______ If not would you like to be afforded this? ______ 7 8 Attachment B continued Does something need to be done to avoid such an incident from happening again? If so, explain: _______________________________________________________________________________ __________________________ Completed By: ___________________________ Reviewed/Approved By: ___________________ Title: __________________________________ Title: ________________________________ Date: __________________________________ Date: ________________________________