NORWICH – With the one year anniversary of the tragedy at the American Civic Association in Binghamton only days away, it is no wonder the issues of workplace violence and crisis management are on the minds of local business leaders.
“I think it’s a very timely topic,” Commerce Chenango President Maureen Carpenter said Wednesday, as she welcomed members of the local business community to a Good Morning, Chenango! breakfast hosted by her organization focused on these issues.
The event, held at Park Place Restaurant in Norwich, was sponsored by GHS Federal Credit Union and featured a presentation by Rebecca Snow, director of community services for the Southern Tier Chapter of the American Red Cross.
Snow said her presentation, titled “Preparing for the Unexpected,” was designed to encourage business leaders to start taking steps toward emergency preparedness.
“This is a fairly new curriculum for us,” she said, although not necessarily a new role for the organization. There are many parallels, she explained, between crisis management and the disaster preparedness efforts for which the Red Cross is well known.
Why is it important to plan for the hypothetical?
“Anything can happen. That’s what an emergency is, an unpredictable event,” Snow said.
According to Snow, there are four basic steps in the planning process: Establishing a planning team, performing an assessment of existing policies and procedures, developing the plan itself and, finally, implementing the plan.
“There is no one-size fits all,” she reported, because every organization is different. But in all cases, she said, having management support and staff training are essential.
Snow also stressed the importance of both prioritizing and establishing a timeline for the process.
“If you do one thing this month, and one thing next month, that’s that much closer to preparedness than you are today.”
According to Snow, several items are key to any preparedness plan. The first, she explained, is that it should identify step-by-step instructions and be in writing. In addition, everyone in the organization should be familiar with the plan. A clear chain of command should be identified, as should a communication/notification process. Instructions regarding evacuation and a designated “safe location” should also be included, as well as a list of supplies, she said.
“It really is a process that needs to be well thought out,” Snow explained, adding that the process is often a lengthy one.
The Red Cross executive also discussed the issue of workplace violence, a topic which has hit home in neighboring Broome County both with the ACA shooting and the murder of a Binghamton University professor in December.
According to Snow, workplace violence can fall into four categories. The first, she explained, is a violent act by a criminal with no connection to the workplace, such as a robbery. In this case, security measures would be the focus of preparedness.
Another is violence directed at an employee by a customer or client, such as the incident at the ACA.
“We don’t know why these people choose to do what they do,” she reported, talking about her organization’s role in the aftermath of the shooting.
The two remaining categories are violence against employees by a past or present co-worker, or perpetrated by a spouse or domestic partner.
“This is where we have the most connection,” Snow told those present.
She suggested that businesses have a workplace violence prevention plan, starting with a written “no tolerance” policy statement which all employees would be required to sign.
“This really sets the tone of the workplace,” she explained.
Additionally, she stressed the importance of pre-employment screenings and reference checks, identifying risk factors and problem situations, developing a plan for addressing threats and threatening behaviors, reviewing floor plans to identify risks and ensuring that contact lists are kept up to date.
“There is no profile of a person who is going to turn violent,” Snow said, but she did identify certain types of behavior that should “send up a red flag.” They included increasing belligerence, making any type of threats, hypersensitivity to criticism, weapons, outbursts of anger, a pre-occupation with violent themes, obsession with another employee or a noticeable change in behavior.
“The single most effective way to prevent violence is to detect, assess and manage (possible threats),” Snow said.
“There are clear signals out there,” said Bob Bay, who deals with this topic in his role as the director of corporate security and safety for NBT Bank. He said he recommends managers trust their instincts when confronted with a potential threat.
“It’s really when you get that gut feeling,” Bay explained.
Once a company has a crisis management plan in place, Snow said it was important not to let the plan “gather dust.” Instead, it should be reviewed, practiced and updated at regular intervals.
“It’s ... a mindset for your business,” she said.