TOPIC: "Keys to Preventing a Hostile Work Environment"

AGENDA:

• [During call in period] Brief Introductions (Name, Company, Location)
• Overview of Topic (8-10 min)
• Roundtable Discussion/Q&A's

HR ROUNDTABLE GUESTS:

• Dr. Lynne McClure
  Lynne McClure, Ph.D., created the first early-intervention, systems-oriented methodology for managing high-risk employee behaviors. She created a unique concept, her signature early-intervention methods approach. McClure Associates, Inc. coaches clients how to decrease corporate liability and increase productivity. She is the author of Risky Business: Managing Employee Violence in the Workplace (Haworth Press) and has a video, Risky Business: How to Identify and Manage High-Risk Employee Behaviors (Primedia Workplace Learning). Dr. McClure has been featured in numerous national publications such as, U.S. News and World Report, and on national TV and radio shows. She served as an expert panelist in a U.S. Postal Service teleconference. Dr McClure is recognized as one of the leading experts in work place violence and prevention.

  Lynne can be reached at 480-829-6801 Fax: 480-968-5897
  E-mail: lmcclure@mcclureassociates.com

HR ROUNDTABLE SPONSOR AND HOST:

• Winston Connor
  Winston Connor, Master Certified Coach, Consultant, and Facilitator is founder of Coaching Dynamics, a professional practice delivering tailored business consulting and coaching services to corporations and professionals. Winston offers a wide range of Management and Human Resource services which includes validated assessments (including the Discovery 360 Degree Feedback), cost-effective delivery of leadership development, executive coaching and mentoring programs. He also works with companies on customized private TeleForums. Winston retired as VP of Human Resources of a $4+ Billion International Corporation with 29 years of HR leadership.

  Winston can be reached at 801-277-4955. Fax: 801-277-8576.
  E-mail: winstonc@utw.com

OVERVIEW OF TOPIC:

Workplace violence is an emerging issue. The topic is getting much attention. The good news is that there are ways to prevent the violence from happening. On a scale of 1-10, 1 is good behavior, 10 is violent. It is around 9 when corporations do something about the problem. Corporations should be working at levels 2 + 3 to know and recognize the behaviors, thus preventing the outcome of violence. Address it early and change it.

Question/Comment

What are the 8 behaviors of high risk employees?

Summary of Lynne's Response

1. Actor behavior. Employee acts out rather than discusses the issue. Examples of this behavior is throwing paper against a wall or walking out of a room.
2. Fragmentor (This is correct!)behavior. Sees no connection between his behaviors and the results.
3. Me First behavior.
4. Mixed Messenger behavior. Employee is a wonderful person, but their walk doesn't match their talk.
5. Wooden Stick behavior. Employee is a controller.
6. Escape Artist behavior. Avoids reality, may be a substance abuser.
7. Shocker behavior. Employee actions are very sudden, not predictable.
8. Stranger behavior. Employee is extremely withdrawn, may have some form of mental illness.

They are ranked from easiest to hardest to see/observe.

Question/Comment

How do you deal with an environment about to downsize its people resource?

Summary of Lynne's Response

Use hindsight. Look at the names of the people who will be laid off. Who has exhibited any high risk behaviors. Alert security to look out for these people. Depending on company policy, you should offer a severance package. The more leeway you have with the package, the less the risk is to the company. The more downsizing is based on performance, the perception of who gets laid off seems fairer.

Question/Comment

Is there a benefit to telling people ahead of time that they will lose their job, or should it happen quickly, say that day?

Summary of Lynne's Response

The more people know ahead of time, the better. They should be told individually, not as a group. The risk of telling people ahead of time is that the company opens itself up to sabotage.

Question/Comment

Some managers are not as plugged in as they should be. Can coworkers help identify individuals that show a high risk behavior?

Summary of Lynne's Response

Yes, but it needs to be handled professionally. For example, an employee continually shows up late for work. A co-worker can say something to the manager, then the manager must witness the behavior.

Question/Comment

What are the workplace norms and cultures in which these behaviors might exist? Summary of Lynne's Response

Behavior		Workplace Culture
Actor		Macho culture. We're tough and we don't have to discuss problems
Fragmentor		Specialist norm. High tech companies where employees are good enough in technical skills, but lack social interaction.
Me First		Elitist norm. Social promotion is practiced. Mixed Messenger Office politics.
Wooden Stick		Management and employees resist change.
Escape		Workalcoholics. Rewarded for how much time is spent at the office.
Shocker		Good old employee*
Stranger		Afraid to do anything.

*The good old employee policy - we all think we know each other so well, we ignore high risk behavior instead of recognizing it for what it is. We make up excuses for the person exhibiting the behavior.

Question/Comment

How do you deal with customers? Summary of Lynne's Response

Difficult to predict behavior. Used the Atlanta episode as the example. The brokerage house should have known that Mark Barton fit into three high risk behaviors, stranger, wooden stick, and escape artist. You need to alert co-workers, have no personal involvement, and don't tell them where you live. A manager at a Fortune 500 company diffused an attempt on his life by an employee. After the incident, I worked with the company and explained the high risk behaviors. The manager told me that this employee exhibited all of the behaviors.

Question/Comment

Are men more in line with the profile of high risk behaviors than women?

Summary of Lynne's Response

2,000,0000 incidents of workplace violence are reported annually. 1,000 are homicides, the remainder are assaults, assaults with a deadly weapon, rapes, and robberies. 80% of these crimes are perpetrated by men. 99.9% of the 1,000 homicides are committed by men. A high risk employee can exist side by side with a high risk organization. It is when you combine the "last straw incident" with a high risk employee and a high risk organization do you have violence. There is no such thing as a surprise occurrence of violence. Intervene early while the situation is still manageable.

Question/Comment

Do you recommend EAP programs? (Employee Assistance programs). We had an incident where a woman confided homicidal tendencies towards her manager. When is it best to utilize EAP?

Summary of Lynne's Response

All the time, as long as they do their job. An EAP had declared the attempted murderer safe to return to wor k. This happened on a Friday and he attempted to kill his manager on a Monday. (Fortune 500 story)

Bad news and good news. The bad news is that the younger generation of workers have a tendency to more violence. The good news is that it is preventable. Corporations can provide training and help to employees. These employees take those skills back home, then in turn to their communities. They set the example.

NEXT HR ROUNDTABLE:

September 23rd Watch for the announcement in early September.

MINUTES PROVIDED AS A SERVICE BY: Diana Lukis
Training Manager
Smith, Bucklin & Associates, Inc.
Diana can be reached at (312) 644-6610
E-mail: Diana_lukis@sba.com Web site: http://www.sba.com

Smith Bucklin and Associates is the largest and most respected firm in the field of association management. The company has been in business for 47 years and currently serves over 200 different organizations in the fields of healthcare, information technology, business trade, personal interest/cause related and professional societies.