It Really Happens: Assault at Work

I just read this Washington Post advice column - and it feels a little too much like some information shared with me in a Managing Difficult Conversations training for a mid-size nonprofit. Interestingly, both the workplace in the column & the one we trained are in healthcare… an industry that has long been known to be a highly stressful place to work with a huge focus on profits rather than well-being.

“Assault”

When I use the word assault in this blog post, I’m speaking generally of incidents where someone physically touches another in an unwanted way - and while this might include touches that are sexual in nature, in most workplaces it may be more likely to be that someone is pushed, slapped, or shaken.

What would you do?

If it happens to you …

In this scenario, you’re the person being touched in an unwanted, unfriendly, angry manner. You have options - here are a few:

• Consider how intense the experience was and whether it caused you physical harm - do you want to consider involving local law enforcement?

• Make a big stink about it at work! Tell your manager. Tell HR. Tell colleagues this person mistreated you. Physical assault should NEVER be tolerated in a workplace.

• Read up on HR’s policies so you know whether the HR person you speak with actually follows the written policy. If they don’t, alert someone higher up - or, well, see below.

• Consider talking to a lawyer about your options around suing the perpetrator or the company.

If it’s reported to you …

Perhaps my favorite line in the column by Karla Miller is “Management may think they can’t afford to lose your colleague [the perpetrator], but they also may not be able to afford to keep him around if he’s making other employees feel unsafe.”

I’ve said the same thing to people about serial harassers who never cross the line to physical violence.

You need to take action.

The actions may include:

• Consulting with your general counsel for legal advice.

• Contacting the head of HR to ensure all policies are updated, appropriate, and followed.

• Reassigning the perpetrator or having them take leave while an investigation occurs.

• Firing the perpetrator.

• Considering what led to the incident; investigations may help with this.

Supervisors, human resource professionals, and leaders all have a responsibility to ensure their working environment is safe. A physical assault is a VERY BRIGHT LINE that people are not safe.

If it happens under your watch…

In this case, I’m talking about leaders who are not directly supervising either individual and may not have HR responsibilities - the Executive Directors, CEOs, division heads, small business owners, boards of directors, etc.

Don’t just shake your head over this outlandish, terrible thing and be happy someone else is dealing with it - take action.

• Communicate zero tolerance.

  • There’s never a bad time to remind people that your organization strives to be a safe organization. You don’t need to share all the details of why you’re sending this message right now, or you may choose to share details. Consult with a crisis communications professional if needed.

  • The point of communicating zero tolerance is to be transparent about what your organization is willing to tolerate, or not.

  • Use all communication channels. Slack/Teams chats, emails, official memos, updated policies, verbal reminders in meetings, videos, etc.

  • If it feels too weird to just do this randomly, why not commit to making it an annual reminder to all staff? Frankly, something public like the Washington Post column is a great opportunity - a “teachable moment,” if you will - to go ahead and tell people “hey, we don’t touch each other in anger here.”

• Consider why or how it happened.

  • What do you (as the head of the organization, a leader responsible for staff) know about the perpetrator? Their department? What has your staff been dealing with?

    • Was this an escalation of an existing issue?

      • For our non-profit client, it was clear that the staff was undertrained and overworked, overwhelmed with stresses that could have been handled differently - ultimately preventing incidents like this from occurring.

      • This may not always be the case - in other words, perhaps this was a one-off incident that’s just about that individual perpetrator. Even so, any violence at work appropriately prompts introspection for the organization.

    • How can you ensure this doesn’t happen again?

      • It’s not just about zero tolerance.

      • As a leader, you have the responsibility to create an environment where everyone feels safe. How do you do this? You model transparency & emotional regulation. You track managers’ performance in terms of transparency & emotional regulation.

How to Make Sure It Never Happens

Create a Safer Culture

Consider what it takes to make every employee feel safe at work:

• Does staff feel like they can speak up with opinions and questions?

• Does staff feel like they can be themselves at work?

• Does staff feel like they can voice criticisms that will be listened to and considered?

• Are all staff trained on how to be physically safe at work, no matter what industry you’re in or what the working environment is like?

When I use the word “consider,” it may look like:

• Contemplation, on your own

• A leadership team discussion

• Surveys

• Focus groups

• Individual interviews

• Working with outside consultants to streamline the consideration process, ensure neutrality in the process, and co-create recommendations and choices in how to move forward.

• Taking action.