Incivility in our society is unfortunately on the rise. And in the workplace – incivility is skyrocketing. A recent study by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found that more than 74% of workers say that they have experienced acts of incivility at work. Workplace violence, in general, is a significant issue, with millions of American workers reporting incidents each year.
Acts and consequences of workplace violence are not limited to employees.
Acts of aggression may be committed by – or against – clients, visitors (expected and unexpected), vendors, unhoused people, owners, domestic partners of employees, and others.
n the last eight years, the demand for SACS Consulting’s emergency security services in response to employee aggression – especially to aggression by terminated employees – has increased ten-fold. Instead of seven-to-ten of these sensitive requests per year, we now receive an average of seven per MONTH.
Aggression by terminated employees is a serious concern for businesses. Data suggests that approximately 75% of all workplace acts of violence have occurred during or after the firing process. While statistically, extreme violence from former employees is rare, the potential for harm and the associated legal and reputational risks makes it a critical issue for employers to address.
Can workplace violence be prevented?
Absolutely. And we urge all employers to have policies and procedures in place to do just that. With the right policies and procedures, you can educate your staff about workplace violence. And with appropriate training, you can prevent aggression and violence, and to mitigate it should it occur. SACS can help you create those policies and procedures. We can also train your employees in various kinds of related risk minimization, and even provide assistance when you need to terminate an employee.
However, when you have an actively aggressive employee that you need to fire, or you’ve already terminated an employee who then becomes aggressive, you need a different kind of help– and FAST.
In a workplace violence emergency, you need rapid response.
SACS is expert at providing emergency security response services for both internal and external threats. Our emergency services for handling employee and terminated employee threats and aggression include:
- Providing armed security personnel at the affected company’s location within 24 hours nationwide
- Providing ongoing armed security personnel coverage for a period of time until the potential threat has been defused and/or eliminated.
In addition to Ohio firearms certifications, the security personnel we deploy to emergency situations in the workplace have specialized training in techniques for defusing and dealing with difficult people and for deescalation of aggression and violence; CPR, First Aid, AED and Stop the Bleed interventions; handcuffing; CIT (Crisis Intervention Training), and handling active shooter situations. Many of our service corps are either active or retired military and law enforcement personnel with significant experience in effectively managing these kinds of sensitive situations.
As part of our workplace violence training and prevention programs, we also offer the following services:
- Performing a comprehensive Physical Security Analysis and Vulnerability Assessment for the company premises. Our analysis addresses the physical location’s security strengths, weaknesses and provides short- and long-term solutions. We provide a full written report with both short- and long-term recommendations. The report is color-coded, and easy to read and understand. Our security experts will review it with the client’s appropriate personnel.
- Creating written Emergency Action Plans (EAP) that provide specific instructions and guidelines for all levels of company personnel company-wide. These EAPs include what to do in case of an Active Shooter situation, lesser aggressive actions, natural disasters, and other types of security/safety occurrences.
- Training employees in: Active Shooter Prevention, Recognition and Response Training; Defusing and Dealing With Difficult People; Workplace Violence & Bullying; and numerous other Human Resource topics, all customized for your unique company culture.
- Providing permanent physical security with a higher level of security personnel (e.g., with military and/or law enforcement training and experience).
Who can access SACS Consulting’s Emergency Security Response services?
We are available to respond to workplace emergencies of any kind for companies of any size. We can respond anywhere in the U.S., 24/7, even if your company does not have an established relationship with SACS Consulting.
Our 24/7 emergency contact number is (330) 601-9270.
If your need is NOT emergent, but you’re ready to be proactive, let’s talk. We’re here to help you put preventative measures in place, and can customize any trainings and services for your unique needs. Please call us at (330) 255-1101 to get started.
Proactive measures – thorough risk assessments, clear policies, professional termination procedures, and training to mitigate the potential for aggression from terminated employees – are crucial. Knowing you can get emergency assistance in a crisis – priceless.
Let’s get you prepared. Contact us today to discuss your company’s needs.