5 Elements of an Effective Workplace Violence Prevention Program

The rising rate of violence and absence of effective prevention strategies is negatively impacting health care organizations and their staff.  Developing a workplace violence prevention program aimed at de-escalating disruptive behaviors before they become incidents of violence improves working conditions, reduces turnover, and enhances the quality of patient care.

A successful workplace violence prevention program starts with a comprehensive foundation. Organizations must gain management commitment, establish a workplace violence committee(s), engage employees for participation, and provide annual de-escalation training that fits their unique needs and risk levels.

As the industry-leading provider of de-escalation training for health care organizations, we’ve broken down the essential components that lay the foundation for a successful workplace violence prevention program:

1. Gaining management commitment
2. Establish your workplace violence committee(s)
3. Employee participation
4. Routine workplace violence prevention training
5. Measuring program effectiveness and ROI

1. How to Secure Management’s Commitment to Your Workplace Violence Prevention Program

One of the most crucial aspects of a successful workplace violence prevention program is management commitment. To increase program adoption and overall success, ensure your organization’s leaders are aligned with violence prevention policies and workplace safety goals. This also includes confirming that they understand their role in supporting violence prevention initiatives.

The following strategies are key items to provide when gaining management commitment:

• Education on violence prevention program components
• Visibility to industry and facility data and trends
• Awareness of opportunities for organization improvement
• An understanding of their roles and responsibilities for supporting violence prevention strategies

Download our Best Practices for Management Commitment Guide for a comprehensive list of recommendations and to understand common hurdles when gaining leadership buy-in.

2. Establishing Your Workplace Violence Prevention Committee(s)

Workplace violence prevention committees bring your program to life. Their role is to oversee your workplace violence prevention program, ensuring it continues to address identified risks while keeping policies up to date.

Begin by identifying and coordinating your primary workplace violence prevention committee. This committee should have representation from various departments, including Public Safety, Risk Management, Legal, Human Resources, Senior Leadership, Clinical Staff, and Social Services.

Representing multiple departments within your workplace violence committee(s) helps ensure cross-departmental collaboration and increases the likelihood of system-wide employee participation.

While the committee sets a workplace violence prevention program in motion, determining the number of committees, size of each, roles, performance metrics, and frequency of meetings are a critical component to their success.

The size of your organization may determine how many committees are needed. There may be only one for an entire organization or one oversight committee with several subcommittees/teams from other buildings/facilities that report to the oversight committee.

Download CPI’s Outline of Workplace Violence Committees to see several examples of committee types, the purpose and demographics of each, best practices for meeting frequency, and more.

3. Build Employee Participation in Your Workplace Violence Prevention Efforts

Engaging employees, especially those on the front lines, can provide valuable insights into the current landscape of your health system’s safety.

There are multiple ways that an organization can build employee participation in workplace violence prevention efforts, including through surveys and leadership rounding.

Surveys not only provide valuable insight, but they also foster a culture where employees feel safe giving feedback. When surveyed, employees should be asked about the types of violence they see and experience, how often these incidents occur, and their perceptions of their workplace’s current safety and prevention efforts.

While employee surveys help you gain critical data on the frequency and types of violence staff experience, they also help prepare them for culture changes in workplace safety practices.

Ensuring staff feel management and their supervisors are committed to supporting a safe working environment is essential to gaining participation and overall program success. For a deep dive into additional methods for engaging employees, including which staff to engage, how to engage them, and potential hurdles to overcome, download our Best Practices for Employee Commitment Guide.

4. Implement Routine Workplace Violence Prevention Training

Annual training is critical to a successful workplace violence prevention program and ensures policies are implemented. Organizations should provide routine training and resources to all staff based on their individual role and risk level.

All employees should receive general de-escalation training. Those in high-risk roles or who regularly interact with complex patients should receive specialized training, such as mental health, de-escalation, and trauma-informed care, based on the behaviors they encounter.

5. How to Measure Program Effectiveness and ROI

To ensure that your workplace violence prevention program is successful and effective, your return on investment (ROI) should be consistently measured. Noting specific metrics before and after the implementation of de-escalation training lends insights into the impact that has been made on safety.

Success should be measured by comparing the following current data to previous data:

• Number of incidents
• Turnover rates
• Workers’ compensation claims
• Committee participation
• Employee engagement surveys
• Training implementation

By tracking these key insights, your workplace violence prevention committee(s) will better understand potential adjustments and improvements that may be needed.

Start Building Your Workplace Violence Prevention Program

By focusing on these five essential components, health systems can lay the foundation for a successful workplace violence prevention program. Staff and patients will benefit from an environment that focuses on their safety, with an organizational culture that promotes management and employee participation and provides all roles with the essential skills to prevent violence. Download the Workplace Violence Prevention Handbook to get started.