Conflict Management - Next Steps

Bill Fox of conflict management specialist Maybo Looks at the implications of violence in the workplace and the success factors in violence risk management.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines work-related violence as: 'Any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work'.

Training
If staff are to develop confidence and skills in dealing with challenging situations there is no substitute for direct skills-based training. This can be delivered through a blended approach where learning can be done online or from a workbook. Established providers such as Maybo can also license employers to deliver training internally through their own trainers.

In large organisations with a variety of job roles the ideal is to split into groups such as lone workers, centre based/customer service staff, call centre staff, enforcement and security functions. This allows the training to focus on the level of need and the specific scenarios faced by staff in certain roles.

Training needs to be commensurate with the risks faced and must therefore link back to the risk assessment findings. The following model shows how to identify the training needs of staff. Most staff only require training in non-physical skills that help them avoid and defuse conflict.

This will typically cover how to:

• Assess and reduce personal risk;
• Safely approach a situation;
• Communicate effectively and manage challenging behaviour;
• Defuse emotive situations and resolve conflict;
• Confront unacceptable behaviour professionally;
• Adopt safe positions and tactics, and contain an incident;
• Account for their actions; and
• Seek and provide post-incident support

Where physical assault is foreseeable in certain areas of work, training may need to include additional physical 'disengagement' skills to protect against assault and in some cases skills to safely restrain.

With the current lack of national standards on physical intervention skills it is hard for employers to know which ones are appropriate. The British Institute of Learning Disabilities has produced guidance for care settings and Skills for Security and the British Institute of Inn keeping have jointly produced guidance for the licensed retail sector in partnership with ACPO and the Home Office Security Industry Authority. This guidance will be an invaluable reference for employers across other sectors.

Providing post-incident support
The risk of violence can be reduced through the introduction of effective control measures, however there will be occasions when, despite the right precautions being taken, a traumatic incident occurs. Conflict reduction strategies must therefore consider incident management and post-incident support and learning.

Incident management procedures need to be put in place and tested regularly - just like a 'fire drill'. This will ensure that communications and equipment such as panic alarms are working and that managers and staff can work through problems, and where necessary improve their response. Ideally a conflict specialist who can spot weaknesses and share best practice would facilitate this.

Many different members of staff can be involved in an incident, from administration staff and operatives to managers and contractors. They all need to understand procedures and communications and the role they are expected to play during a violent incident to ensure the safety of themselves and others.

Violent incidents may involve a verbal or a physical assault. Employers need to ensure staff are given the right support to enable them to cope with stress and return to work as soon as possible and in a confident frame of mind.

There are three key areas to consider following an incident - providing support, learning from what happened and sharing good practice. This needs to be considered at every level:

• Corporate level for access to confidential support such as counseling;
• Line manager level as mangers play a key role in facilitating support; and
• Team level where the impact of violence on the individual could have an effect on colleagues.

Many organisations have access to counselling services and although this is a positive step, it should not replace the need to invest in developing the awareness and skills of team leaders and managers. This group will be closest to the issues and play the most significant role in supporting staff day to day. Through encouraging regular operational debriefing, line managers will be able to pick up welfare issues and continuously update working practice

Line managers often find it difficult to balance the need to support the victim with the need to 'investigate' the incident and put in place controls. Learning is critical in preventing re-occurrence but perceptions of blame will be detrimental to the victim and their colleagues.

A way forward
The good news is that effective action can reduce the risk of violence to employees, and many organisations are successfully doing so. Some of the most practical risk reduction and support measures are not expensive to implement, they just require a little thought. The cost of getting it right is also modest in comparison to the personal and business cost of getting it wrong.

Well-designed training will reinforce the message that by providing a good service and handling problems professionally, customers are happier and are less likely to resort to violence.



About Maybo
Maybo has been specialising in conflict and violence risk management for the past ten years. It can supply a FREE DIY quick and easy violence at work risk assessment by email. tamara@maybo.com Tel: 01580 881 386