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Violence Prevention for Supervisors

Supervisors demonstrate leadership by establishing an environment in which people feel comfortable talking openly about the threat or actual occurrences of violence in the workplace.

Discuss UW Policies and Procedures.

• Communicate the expectation that any incident that could be perceived as workplace violence must be reported and responded to in accordance with the University’s policy.
• Be familiar with the Supervisor & Faculty Workplace Violence Checklist

Discuss workplace and relationship violence facts and staff concerns for safety

• Create a supportive environment. Reinforce the message that employees will not be penalized or face retaliation for seeking help — for themselves, their families or co-workers in need.
• Help employees recognize violence warning signs of violence and let them know where to get help by:
  • Prominently displaying safecampus.edu posters;
  • Linking the www.safecampus.washington.edu web site to your intranet;
  • Inviting UW Police, UW Human Resources, UW CareLink or other community resources to present at team meetings.
• Be sensitive to cultural beliefs and values – People from different cultures have widely different comfort levels for talking to those outside their community about family or personal difficulties. Respect an employee’s reluctance to talk about personal matters, but do not ignore evidence of possible violence, like frequent injuries and unusual explanations for them. Call 685-SAFE (685-7233) to discuss your concerns and seek guidance.
• Distribute articles and research findings to your team on violence prevention.

Discuss violence prevention in your workplace.

• Develop and implement a workplace safety plan that details how to respond to violence in the workplace. Review the plan with your staff at least yearly. UW Police and your Human Resources Consultant can help you develop your plan.
• Make time for group discussion whenever a report of violence on campus or in a workplace makes headlines.
• Talk about how to handle potentially violent situations.  Encourage your staff to suggest ways to make the workplace safer or less vulnerable to potential threats (e.g., office arrangement, emergency phones, etc.).
• If you have concerns about a particular work area, request that the UWPD conduct a safety assessment. For Harborview and UW Medical centers, contact your Medical Centers Public Safety Department.

Discuss UW training opportunities.

• Encourage staff members who have exposure to potentially angry or hostile audiences or customers, to attend training classes offered by Professional & Organizational Development on conflict, assertiveness and dealing with difficult people. See www.washington.edu/admin/hr/pod/staff/violence.html.

Be prepared for the conversation when you suspect Relationship Violence.

• Keep information that a victim of domestic violence shares with you confidential. Share this information only on a need to know basis.
• Contact the Violence Prevention & Response Program Manager at 206-685-SAFE (685-7233), who will assemble the resources to help evaluate risk and formulate a a response and action plan.
• Encourage the employee to speak with UW CareLink and provide a private office and telephone for them to use if they would like to call UW CareLink. UW CareLink can be reached at 1-800-833-3031.
• Encourage the employee to let you know in advance if he or she can't meet a deadline or is unable to handle a specific assignment due to personal safety concerns (e.g., answering the telephone when there is a possibility an abuser will call at work). By temporarily adjusting work assignments you demonstrate your support and may avoid a potential performance problem.
• Be as flexible as possible in accommodating the employee’s need for leave or work schedule adjustments.
• If the employee needs to relocate for safety reasons, discuss the situation with your unit's Human Resources Consultant to determine what assistance may be available to help the employee identify alternate employment.