Dealing with Aggression and Violence in Your Workplace

Violence at work, and fear of it, can affect anyone, particularly those working with the public. For individual staff members, it can cause physical and mental pain, stress and possibly disability. Staff with managerial responsibilities often need to be reminded that aggression in the workplace has repercussions such as low staff morale, high absenteeism and staff turnover, expensive insurance premiums and possibly compensation payments - not to mention its effect on working atmosphere and customer relations. This work is intended to alert information practitioners at all levels to potential problems and to inform them of their rights under health and safety legislation, while encouraging managers and training officers not only to provide appropriate victim support after an incident, but to take preventative measures by securing a safe and healthy working environment. It offers guidance and strategies to help the individual manage the issue and presents casse studies to support the text. Topics covered include: What causes aggression and violence?; are you at risk?; working alone; personal safety measures; reporting procedures in your workplace and getting trained.
Appendices detail where to go for help in the form of legislation, films and videos, databases, contact numbers of organizations and further reading.