There is no single prescription for reducing
violence in the workplace. Each organization is unique and operates
in a different social and economic environment. In evaluating workplace
safety issues, the Village has considered the organization's culture,
history, size, industry and workforce, and the Village adopts the
following principles.
A. Harmonious work environment. Creating a culture of
mutual respect can help reduce harassment and hostility in the workplace.
In such a culture, employers strive to communicate openly, give employees
adequate control in their work and provide them with support and recognition.
Conflict and stress are lower when employees feel empowered to work
independently and are motivated to work cooperatively.
B. Effective policies to protect employees from harassment.
The Village strives to build a culture free of harassment and discrimination,
and has a system in place to address infractions. The Village policy
clearly denounces harassment and states unequivocally that it will
not be tolerated.
C. Procedures for handling grievances. The Village provides
grievance procedures for reporting complaints of unfair treatment,
discrimination or harassment. Any such procedures will be followed,
and employees should feel confident that concerns will be addressed
promptly and confidentially. Complaints should be provided in writing
to the Village Administrator and/or the Mayor.
D. Security programs that protect employees. Employers
have a variety of methods for ensuring workers' safety. The Village
regularly evaluates its security programs to determine if they are
meeting employer and employee needs. The Village seeks to make employees
aware of existing security policies and procedures.
E. Supervisory personnel to recognize signs of a troubled
employee. One way to reduce the potential for workplace violence is
to intervene before an incident reaches a flash point. Supervisory
personnel should recognize signs and symptoms of a potentially violent
employee. Also, supervisory personnel should be sensitive to signs
of possible abuse among employees, such as frequent absences or depression.
F. Crisis plan. The Village has developed a crisis plan
for dealing with violent incidents. Incidents are to be reported to
the Village Administrator and/or the Mayor, in writing. If it is not
feasible to do so in case of an emergency, a report is to be made
to 911.
The Village of North Hills safety program addresses
the hazards known to be associated with the three major types of workplace
violence. Type I workplace violence involves a violent act by an assailant
with no legitimate relationship to the workplace who enters the workplace
to commit a robbery or other criminal act. Type 11 involves a violent
act by a recipient of a service provided by the Village, such as a
resident or customer. Type 111 involves a violent act by a current/former
employee, department head or supervisory personnel, or other person
who has some employment-related involvement with the Village, such
as an employee's spouse or lover, an employee's relative or friend,
or another person who has a dispute with a Village employee.
The program administrator for workplace security
is the Village Administrator, who has the authority and responsibility
for implementing the provisions of this program for the Village. All
department heads and supervisors are responsible for implementing
and maintaining this program in their respective work areas and for
answering employee questions about the program.